BMC likely to begin tunnelling for Goregaon-Mulund Link Road this weekend
The first Tunnel Boring Machine will begin excavating the 6.65-km twin tunnel beneath Sanjay Gandhi National Park, marking a key milestone in the Rs 14,000-crore project.
Mumbai’s ambitious Goregaon-Mulund Link Road (GMLR) project is set to enter its most critical construction phase, with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) preparing to begin tunnel excavation this weekend.
The civic body has completed the assembly of the first Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) at the Goregaon worksite and has written to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis seeking his approval to formally launch the machine.
“We have completed the assembly of the first TBM and are aiming to launch it at the earliest. We have already written to the Chief Minister. Once we receive approval, we are hoping to begin as early as this weekend,” a senior official told The Indian Express.
The Rs 14,000-crore GMLR will provide a direct east-west link between Goregaon and Mulund, connecting the western suburbs with the Eastern Express Highway through a 12.2-km corridor.
Its most complex component is a 6.65-km twin tunnel that will begin near Film City, pass beneath the Sanjay Gandhi National Park and run under forested terrain, hillocks and the Tulsi and Vihar water catchments before emerging near Khindipada in Mulund.
A TBM operates through a rotating cutter head fitted with teeth, spokes and sharp protrusions that cut through soil and rock as the machine advances. The two TBMs are expected to excavate a length of 4.45 km under the GMLR.
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The first machine, positioned on the northern alignment, will excavate the carriageway for traffic travelling from Goregaon towards Mulund. Assembly of the second TBM is still underway.
The excavation comes almost a year after the first consignments of the Japanese-made TBMs began arriving in Mumbai in July 2025.
BMC officials said the two machines are likely to be named Tulsi and Vihar, after the city’s drinking water lakes located close to the tunnel alignment. A proposal seeking Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide’s approval has been submitted.
Pegged a cost of nearly Rs. 14,000 crore, the GMLR project is slated to be executed by 2028. Spanning a total distance of 12.2 km, the project entails four phases with the first phase involving road widening, followed by a second phase comprising flyover construction in the western suburbs along with the TBM-driven tunnels. The subsequent phase includes a road-over-bridge at Nahur, connecting to the final phase, which is an elevated flyover with clover-leaf interchanges up to Airoli.
Nayonika Bose is a Senior Correspondent with The Indian Express’ Mumbai bureau. While in the early stages of her career, her focused reporting on local governance and community welfare already demonstrates clear Expertise and Trustworthiness in covering essential civic issues impacting Mumbai's residents.
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