The Mumbai Coastal Road Project (MCRP), a nearly 12-year-old project, is set to be partially inaugurated on Monday. The project, officially Dharmveer Swarajya Rakshak Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Coastal Road, was proposed as an alternative to the existing Western Express Highway (WEH) to improve north-south connectivity in Mumbai. Built at a cost of Rs 13,983 crore, the MCRP includes a series of arterial roads along with underground tunnels and bridges, all aiming to decongest traffic.
The key highlight of the 10.58-km long corridor is the 2.07-km twin tunnel, which is partly under the sea and a hill. The tunnels start between the Hindu and Islam Gymkhana, extend north under the Arabian Sea, Girgaon Chowpatty and Malabar Hill, and end at Breach Candy’s Priyadarshini Park. The Indian Express reached Breach Candy to Marine Lines in 3 minutes and 20 seconds during its exclusive drive through the tunnel in January.
The maximum speed for vehicles driving through the undersea tunnels is capped at 60 kilometre per hour (kmph), but the speed limit throughout maximum portions of the coastal corridor has been fixed at 80 kmph. At the three traffic interchanges at Worli, Haji Ali and Amarsons Garden, from where motorists will be able to switch to the mainland from the carriageway, the speed limit is restricted at 40 kmph.
Although the civic authorities expect that the travel speeds will be lower in the initial phases, with commuters still getting used to the interchanges, the travel time is slated to reduce significantly. The average speed on Mumbai’s roads ranges between 21 kmph and 25 kmph during peak hours. According to civic officials, the reduction in traffic congestion would also lead to the improvement of air quality and reduce noise pollution. “Coastal Road will reduce the carbon footprint by about 1826 tonnes of carbon dioxide per annum,” said a data procured from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.
In addition to decongesting the current route, the project is also adding 70 hectares of open spaces in the city. The civic body has earmarked nearly 70 hectares of land as an open space, including a 7.5-kilometer long promenade, landscaping and greening works on the land-ward side, and an 11-metre median dividing the 20-meter wide main carriageways as a green patch.
With the launching of the girders underway, the one-kilometer stretch, which marks the remainder of the 10.58-km of MCRP’s first phase and consists of a bow-string bridge, is slated to become operational by the end of May. The north-bound carriageway is slated to become operational by May 2024, and the 20 pedestrian underpasses will also be opened in May.
In the next phase, the BMC will construct the coastal road that will connect Versova with Dahisar in the western suburbs, which will be 20.75-kilometre long. Slated to cost Rs 16,621 crore, the civic body has set up a six-year deadline for completing the project.
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