Phase 1 of Mumbai Coastal Road Project inaugurated

The Mumbai Coastal Road Project (MCRP), also dubbed the Dharamveer Swarajya Rakshak Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Coastal Road, has been inaugurated today by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Phase 1, which is the south-bound arm of the coastal road from Worli to Marine Drive and stretches 9.5km – the total length of the road is 10.58km – will open to traffic on Tuesday morning.

Mumbai Coastal Road Project opening, timings

As the Rs 12,721 crore project, construction for which began in October 2018, is still to be completed in its entirety, the Mumbai police has announced that traffic will only be allowed between 8am and 8pm on weekdays. Construction on the project will continue at night and over the weekend. The north-bound stretch is expected to open to traffic in May this year. Work on the missing 1km bit that will connect the coastal road to the Bandra-Worli Sea Link will also continue.

Of the three entry points to the south-bound arm of the coastal road – Worli Seaface, Haji Ali and Amarsons Garden – the Worli one, also called Bindu Madhav Thackeray Junction, will only be accessible from 8am to 5pm. There are exits at Amarsons Garden and at Marine Drive, specifically the Princess Street flyover; to reach the latter, one must traverse a 2.07km tunnel that starts at Breach Candy’s Priyadarshini Park, extends south under Girgaon Chowpatty and Malabar Hill, and ends between the Hindu and Islam Gymkhana.

Mumbai Coastal Road Project speed limits, vehicles

While most of the MCRP will have a speed limit of 80kph, speed in the tunnel section will be limited to 60kph, while cars will have to adhere to the 40kph limit at the interchanges. All heavy vehicles, other than BEST and ST buses, will be banned from entering the coastal road, as will all pedestrians, two-wheelers and three-wheelers.

Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde with deputy CMs Ajit Pawar and Devendra Fadnavis, inspecting the map of the MCRP.

There is also a plan to have a central park covering an area of 320 acres that will be developed along the route of the Dharamveer Sambhaji Maharaj Coastal Road.

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