Maharashtra govt for Mumbai’s coastal road extension from Marve to Ghodbunder Road

The Maharashtra government has asked the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) to carry out a feasibility study to extend the proposed Mumbai coastal road from Marve (near Malad) to Ghodbunder Road close to Mira-Bhayender. The MMRDA, which is the Special Planning Authority in Marve, has proposed to construct an elevated road to extend the coastal road and improve north-south connectivity.

Until now, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) were two agencies implementing the ambitious project. But with this move, the MMRDA, which falls under Urban Development Department (UDD) headed by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, will also get a share of the project.

“We are going to carry out a feasibility survey of extending the coastal road from Marve to Ghodbunder Road,” said UPS Madan, metropolitan commissioner, MMRDA. Madan said they will also study the feasibility of extending it up to Virar. The MMRDA has also suggested the extension in the regional plan of 2016-2036 for MMR, wherein the authority has proposed to take the coastal road up to Virar.

A senior official said, “The alignment and other details will be clear once we get the report, but, as is the practice, the elevated road will be on stilts in the creek areas to save mangroves.”

Currently, the arterial roads in the western suburbs and the Western Express Highway are severely congested during peak hours and a parallel road is expected to ease this.

The BMC’s ambitious 29.2 km coastal road will be constructed in two phases. In Phase-I of the Rs12,000 crore project, the civic body will construct the south Mumbai stretch from Marine Drive to Carter Road in Bandra. The north Mumbai phase is from Bandra to Kandivli. The road will also have a sea-link between Bandra and Versova, which will be built by the MSRDC.

The coastal road will have eight lanes, with two dedicated bus lanes for the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS). The coastal road will connect the western suburbs along the coast with undersea tunnels, roads on reclaimed land and elevated roads. The project will reclaim around 186 hectares of land, out of which, 91 hectares will be developed as green space.

Meanwhile, the project awaits a final nod from the Union ministry of environment and forest (MoEF) as it involves reclaiming land, which will impact the environment. However, the civic body is hopeful that the foundation stone for the first phase will be laid by next monsoon after completion of the tender process by March next year.