Coastal road plan: 11km will be under sea

Mumbai’s ambitious coastal road will require the reclamation of 186 hectares between Nariman Point and Kandivali, rehabilitation of people living in about 80 structures along the route, a wall to protect it from the sea, an elevated stretch and two under-sea tunnels, reveals a detailed project report released by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday.

Mumbai’s ambitious coastal road will require the reclamation of 186 hectares between Nariman Point and Kandivali, rehabilitation of people living in about 80 structures along the route, a wall to protect it from the sea, an elevated stretch and two under-sea tunnels, reveals a detailed project report released by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday.

The civic body uploaded the plan for the 33.2-km coastal road on its website and called for suggestions and objections from citizens and experts.
The draft plan proposes the reclamation of 95 hectares for an eight-lane highway and another 91 hectares for gardens.

Prepared by French consortium STUP, the plan took a year to formulate and estimates that the project will cost Rs 11,298 crore.
Once built, it will allow vehicles to travel at up to 75kmph, as opposed to the current 20-40kmph.

Additional municipal commissioner (projects) Sanjay Mukherjee said, “The coastal road will help reduce travel time from Nariman Point to Kandivli by an hour and create plenty of green spaces in the suburbs.”

“We will also ensure that the beaches at Girgaum and Juhu are not affected by building under-sea tunnels,” Mukherjee added.
However, the project still needs many environmental clearances before tenders for its construction can be floated.

Once this arrives, additional clearances are required from the environment ministry and the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority, after which the project will be studied to assess its environmental impact.

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has announced that the coastal freeway will be built in three years.