One of the world’s biggest cities is readying for the launch of the first section of an eight-lane motorway set to slash travel time.
The first part of the Coastal Road (the official name of which will be Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Coastal Motorway) in Mumbai will be opened within just days, according to the Industries Minister in the Indian state of Maharashtra, Uday Samant.
Speaking in the legislative council on February 29, he announced: “The first phase of the coastal road which will connect Bindu Madhav Chowk in Worli and Marine Drive will be opened to the public in eight days. This will reduce the travelling time on the busy route to just eight minutes.” Reports published on March 8 stated the motorway would open on March 11.
As explained by Mr Samant, this first stretch of Coastal Road will connect Worli, a locality in central Mumbai, to Marine Drive – a 1.8-mile long promenade along the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Road.
Through this first stretch of the new motorway alone, motorists in Mumbai will reduce travel time by 70 percent and fuel consumption by 34 percent, the minister said.
This new stretch of the Coastal Road measures 6.5 miles and includes sections of the road built on reclaimed land, bridges, twin tunnels and three interchanges. The maximum speed allowed on this road will be 49.7 miles per hour.
The launch of the new Worli-Marine Drive stretch was expected on February 19, but was pushed back, the Hindustan Times reported.
While the launch of the first phase is approaching, works on the second part of the Coastal Road are ongoing. Phase Two includes the 5.9-mile Versova–Bandra Sea Link – a bridge set to connect the upmarket neighbourhood of Versova, in northwest Mumbai, to Bandra–Worli Sea Link in the coastal suburb of Bandra.
The total length of the Coastal Road is planned to be 18.1 miles and will connect Marine Lines in south Mumbai to Kandivali in the northern part of the city.
The motorway will be used by 130,000 vehicles a day, it has been projected, and will reduce travel time between south Mumbai to its western suburbs from two hours to only 40 minutes.
The estimated cost of the project is to be £1.26billion (₹13,060 crore). The Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Eknath Shinde, previously suggested the motorway would be toll-free for Mumbai commuters.
