More Than 16,000 Vehicles on Coastal Road Between Worli and Marine Lines on Day 1

Mumbai: More than 16,000 vehicles used the coastal road between Worli and Marine Lines in Mumbai on the first day of its operation, civic officials said on Wednesday.

According to numbers shared by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, Brihanmumbai (BMC), 16,331 vehicles accessed the four-lane southbound carriageway of the corridor within 12 hours after it was opened to the public on Tuesday.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday inaugurated the first phase – a 10.5-km-long stretch – of the coastal road, named 'Dharmaveer Sambhaji Maharaj Coastal Road.

The toll-free road witnessed its peak traffic volume between 3 pm and 4 pm, with 1,941 vehicles, equivalent to 32 vehicles per minute, plying on it, said the civic body.

In the first operational hour, only 480 vehicles – or eight per minute – used the road, while the final hour figure stood at 496.

Throughout the day, a steady flow of traffic was seen on the road, with notable spikes between noon and 1 pm, 2 pm and 3 pm and from 3 pm to 4 pm, each seeing more than 30 vehicles per minute.

The civic body has decided to keep the road open for 12 hours daily, from 8 am to 8 pm, to expedite the remaining work. It plans to open the next phase of the road for traffic in May 2024, said officials.

The 53-km-long coastal road, being constructed till Dahisar, will help the people in saving fuel and time, besides reducing pollution, the CM had said on Monday. The work on the ambitious project started on October 13, 2018, and its projected cost is Rs 12,721 crore.

Though designed for speeds exceeding 100 kmph, civic officials said, the Mumbai traffic police have imposed restrictions of 80 kmph outside the tunnel, 60 kmph inside the tunnel, and 40 kmph on curvatures. 

Southbound Carriageway of Coastal Road in Mumbai Opens for Traffic on March 12, 2024

The southbound carriageway of the coastal road between Worli and Marine Drive in Mumbai was opened for traffic on Tuesday morning, an official said.

Vehicles were allowed access to the four-lane southbound carriageway of the coastal road from 8 am on Tuesday, a day after the project's first phase was inaugurated by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, the traffic police official said.

"The road is opened for traffic," the official said.

According to civic officials, motorists can enter the four-lane southbound carriageway from Worli Seaface, Haji Ali interchange and Amarsons Garden.

Chief Minister Shinde on Monday inaugurated the 10.5-km-long stretch of the road at Worli in the presence of Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar and other dignitaries.

Following the inauguration, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal said the partial opening of the coastal road will reduce the travel time of motorists from 40 minutes to 9 minutes.

He had also claimed that the road would save nearly USD 100 million annually in carbon emissions through fuel savings.

According to Chahal, the coastal road of 10.58 km length and 16.5 km of interchanges, being built at a cost of Rs 14,000 crore, consists of four lanes on each side along with two 12.19 metre diameter tunnels of 2.07 km length.

These are the largest tunnels by diameter built by tunnel boring machines in the country, he said. (With inputs from PTI)