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BMC says Coastal Road tunnel repairs precautionary after visuals spark outrage

Many citizens questioned the need for a repair within a year of the opening of the Mumbai Coastal Road.

A user on the social media platform X shared images of the visible patches on the surface of the twin tunnels. (X@drifteternal_)

After visuals of patchwork inside the Mumbai Coastal Road Project’s (MCRP) twin tunnels sparked outrage on social media, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday said that minor surface repairs had been undertaken at the MCRP tunnel with the civic body slated to paint the restored portions. While the civic body maintained that these are precautionary maintenance, the repairs drew flak from citizens amid many questioning the need for a repair within a year of opening.

Sharing images of the visible patches on the surface of the twin tunnels, a user on the social media platform X Thursday wrote, “The brand-new Mumbai Coastal Road tunnel is already falling apart — peeling paint, water seepage, and shoddy finishing. Rs. 13,000 cr and this is what we get?”

Is this the ‘world-class infrastructure’ we were promised? The brand-new Mumbai Coastal Road tunnel is already falling apart—peeling paint, water seepage, and shoddy finishing. ₹13,000 crore and this is what we get? Who will be held responsible? @mybmc @Dev_Fadnavis… pic.twitter.com/PfUJaGzDEX

— Eternal Drift (@drifteternal_) March 5, 2025

Soon after, the BMC issued a statement clarifying that the visible patches were not of peeling paint but of minor surface repairs, which were recently carried out as a precautionary measure. Taking to X, the BMC said that with the surface repair works already concluded, the civic body will paint the patches after their drying in accordance with the approved methodology.

“The observed seepages in the tunnel have already been addressed as per the approved methodology,” added the civic body on its social media handle, refuting allegations of seepage.

🔷The patches visible in the photos are not due to paint peeling off. These locations underwent minor surface repairs, for which precautionary maintenance was carried out. They will be painted after complete drying, as per the approved methodology.

🔷 The observed seepages in… https://t.co/qlV29btvoE

— माझी Mumbai, आपली BMC (@mybmc) March 6, 2025

According to officials, regular maintenance work inside the tunnel is typically carried out during the night shift, when the coastal road is closed for operations. Currently, the MCRP is operational daily from 7 am to midnight. The first tunnel, a part of the 9.29-km southern arm linking Worli to Marine Drive, was initially opened to the public on March 11, 2024, while the northern flank connecting Marine Drive and Haji Ali was inaugurated on June 11 last year.

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Coastal road