Mumbai: Coastal Road Northbound Carriageway from Marine Drive to Haji Ali to Open Today

Mumbai, 10th June 2024: The northbound carriageway of the coastal road from Marine Drive to Haji Ali will open to traffic on Monday following an inauguration by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. The road will be accessible from Monday to Friday but will be closed on weekends to allow for the completion of remaining work.

According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the work on the remaining northbound stretch—from Haji Ali to Bindumadhav Thackeray Chowk at Worli—is expected to be completed and opened by July 10. However, the connection between the coastal road and the Bandra-Worli Sea Link (BWSL) will be finished only by October. Once fully operational, the coastal road is projected to reduce travel time by about 70% and fuel consumption by 34%.

The southbound carriageway of the 10.58 km coastal road, running from the Princess Street flyover at Marine Drive to the Worli-end of the BWSL, was opened on March 11. The project faced issues last month when water seepage was detected at the joints of the southbound tunnel. CM Shinde visited the site, and the seepage was stopped at two expansion joints. The BMC assured that future leaks would not be a concern as the tunnel’s structural integrity remains intact.

The Rs 13,984-crore project, which began in December 2018, was initially slated for completion in 2022, with the entire road expected to open in May this year. The completion date has now been pushed to October due to labor shortages and monsoon-related challenges, such as bitumen laying. Additionally, the change in the navigation span to 120 meters between two piers contributed to the delay.

With the inauguration on Monday, the 6.25 km northbound stretch from Marine Drive to Haji Ali will open to traffic. Motorists will be able to use interchanges at Amarsons Garden and Haji Ali, easing traffic from Rajni Patel Chowk (Lotus Jetty) towards Worli and Bandra, and from Vatsalabai Desai Chowk (Haji Ali) towards Tardeo, Mahalakshmi, and Pedder Road.

Motorists entering the underground tunnel from Marine Drive can exit at the Amarsons Garden interchange. Those entering from this interchange can head to Marine Drive on the south side or to Rajni Patel Chowk and Vatsalabai Desai Chowk on the north. Vehicles entering the Marine Drive tunnel can proceed via the Haji Ali interchange to Rajni Patel Chowk and further to Worli and Bandra, or use the same interchange to reach Vatsalabai Desai Chowk, Tardeo, Mahalakshmi, and Pedder Road.