Coastal Road (Mumbai)

About

Coastal Road (officially known as Dharamveer Swarajya Rakshak Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Mumbai Coastal Road) is an 8-lane, 29.2-km long grade separated expressway along Mumbai's western coastline, connecting Marine Lines in the south to Kandivali in the north. It is projected to be used by 130,000 vehicles daily, and is expected to reduce travel time between South Mumbai and the Western Suburbs from 2 hours to only 40 minutes. The estimated cost of the project is ₹13,060 crore (US$1.4 billion). Its first phase, which was inaugurated on 11 March 2024, is a 10.58 km section from Princess Street flyover to the Worli end of the Bandra–Worli Sea Link.

Wilbur Smith and Associates, commissioned in 1962 to study transportation in Mumbai, recommended construction of a 3.6 km road between Haji Ali and Nariman Point on reclaimed land and a 1.04 km tunnel under Malabar Hill up to Girgaon Chowpatty. Smith's report also proposed connectors to Walkeshwar Road and Chowpatty. However, the proposed road was not built. In 2011, Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan proposed the Coastal Road as an alternative to the plan for the Western Freeway. Chavan asked the MSRDC to think of building coastal roads instead of capital intensive sea links. He appointed a Joint Technical Committee, comprising experts and officials, in 2012 under the then municipal commissioner Subodh Kumar to study the plan to build a coastal road. In its report, submitted in January 2012, the committee advised the government to build a 35.6 km coastal freeway from Manora MLA Hostel at Nariman Point to Kandivali to ease traffic congestion. The project was estimated to cost ₹10,000 crore (equivalent to ₹210 billion or US$2.1 billion in 2026) and would have consisted of roads built on reclaimed land as well as stilts, bridges and tunnels. The committee was against building any more sea links and pointed out that the coastal road would help save ₹12,000 crore (equivalent to ₹250 billion or US$2.6 billion in 2026) of public money. The 35.6 km road was proposed to begin near Manora (MLA Hostel), with entry and exit points at Jagannath Bhosale Marg, move along Marine Drive and lead into a tunnel that would go under Malabar Hill and exit on the other side of Priyadarshini Park. This stretch was proposed to be built on reclaimed portions up to Haji Ali, and then to Lala Lajpatrai Road in Worli. The coastal freeway would then be connected to the Worli arm of the Bandra–Worli Sea Link by a bridge. On the Bandra side, the coastal road skirting the fort would connect the coastal freeway up to Chimbai village, where a bridge was proposed. A road by reclamation of mangroves, further north, or a road on stilts, and an elevated road between Oshiwara and Malad was also proposed. The proposed freeway would have had 18 entry and exit points along its route. Critics of the freeway opposed it due to the reclamation required and have also cited possible environmental degradation along the coast. Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms in India disallow reclamation of land. Construction of the coastal freeway would require a relaxation of the CRZ norms, as certain sections are proposed on reclaimed land. The change in norms can only be done through an amendment to the law by the Central Government. After discussing the project on 10 April 2013, the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA), the state's apex environment body, urged the centre to amend the CRZ notification to permit "reclamation for roads". The MCZMA stated that reclamation should not be permitted for any other development activity and that the high tide line must not be altered. The MCZMA also argued that the ring road would serve as a protection wall from inland flooding, besides being a vital road link for decongesting traffic. During a meeting between Prithviraj Chavan and Union Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan on 20 June 2013, Natarajan expressed concerns about the implications of relaxing CRZ norms on creeks and mangroves. However, the minister stated that she would "put the state's proposal at the next meeting [24 June 2013] of the National Coastal Zone Management Authority". However, despite specific assurance from the minister, the National Coastal Zone Management Authority (NCZMA) decided not to include the coastal road plan in their next meeting's agenda. During the 2014 assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) promised to implement the project if elected. After coming to power, the party modified and fast-tracked the project. On 6 June 2015, the State Government signed an MoU with the Dutch Government for technical co-operation in implementing the project. The Netherlands is known for its environment-friendly reclamation and the use of the sea. On 8 June 2015, the coastal road project received clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) appointed STUP Consultants Pvt Ltd and Ernst & Young in 2016 to conduct an environmental impact assessment report and a feasibility report on the Coastal Road. The Comprehensive Traffic Studies conducted for Mumbai recommended the construction of a new arterial road along Mumbai's western coast. Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray stated on 26 November 2016 that a survey of the soil at the seabed was being undertaken. The project received final clearance from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on 11 May 2017. The foundation stone for the project was laid at Amarsons Garden in Cumbala Hill on 16 December 2018. The Environment Ministry asked the BMC to deposit 2% of the total project cost with the Mangrove Cell, a state government organization tasked with conserving mangroves. The BMC stated that it would pay the amount in instalments with the first payment of ₹25 crore (US$2.6 million), and subsequent payments being made as the project work progresses. In May 2023, the BMC announced that it had finalized a new design for the Worli interchange after fishermen protested the previously proposed design. The original design proposed an arterial bridge constructed on pillars with a 60 metre span. Fishermen demanded a larger span of 200 metres as they felt the smaller gap would not be sufficient for boats particularly during strong waves. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had directed BMC authorities in January 2023 to construct the pillars at a span of 120 metres instead. However, the BMC chose to construct a 120-metre-long bow-string bridge instead. The bow-string bridge is supported by high-tension chords and does not require as many pillars as the previous design. The change in design may push the project's deadline from November 2023 to May 2024. Officials stated that the bow bridge design was "suitable for smaller bridges built without any strong foundation".

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.