With Mahayuti’s return, BMC’s coastal road and Dahisar Bhayander Link road projects to get a boost

The second phase of coastal road project will be 22.93-km long, which is set to originate from Versova in Andheri and extend till Dahisar at the northern tip of Mumbai. Pegged at a cost of Rs 16,621 crore, this project will include multiple bridges, flyovers and underground tunnels, construction of which would require a slew of environment permissions from the state government as well as the Union government.

Senior officials who are privy to this project in BMC told The Indian Express that so far two of the three required environment clearances have come through from the state and central governments.

“The coastal regulation zone permissions have come through from both the central and state departments. We are waiting for the forest department’s permission which is expected to come through by year end considering the elections are over now. The civil work for this project will start as soon as the permissions are in place,” said an official privy to this project.

Similar to its second phase, the maiden phase of the Coastal Road also required a slew of environment permissions. The first phase of this project was originally conceived in the 1967 Development Plan (DP) model of the civic body. However, the road became operational only in March this year.

Since this project involved reclamation of the sea, it required permissions from the Union government. The permissions came through post 2014, after the BJP government came to power in the state and at Centre.

Vivek Pai, a Mumbai-based urban planner and architect told The Indian Express that in the next five years, Mumbai will witness a face-lift in infrastructure growth.

“With the election results, a sense of stability has returned to the state. This will play a key role in getting foreign investors that helps in funding of these projects. Also having the same government in state and at Centre has been an advantage in terms of Mumbai’s infrastructure growth. We had seen that during 2014-19, multiple infrastructure projects including the coastal road and Metro railway were green-lit and implemented immediately, and the same is likely to happen this time as well, especially because most of these projects have already been planned and tendered out and are just awaiting permission for execution,” Pai told Express.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had followed up with the Centre personally between 2014 and 2017 to ensure the required permission for the coastal road (Phase 1) come through in time. During his speech at the inauguration ceremony of coastal road, Fadnavis along with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had also asserted the need for extension of coastal road till Virar.

Alongside this, Union Minister and MP from North Mumbai, Piyush Goyal, also took multiple meetings with officials from BMC and state and environment departments directing them to ensure all the permissions come through so that the work can get started at the earliest.

The 10.58 km long first phase of coastal road is currently operational connecting Marine Drive with Bandra-Worli Sea Link (BWSL) through a series of underground tunnels, bridges, elevated roads, and vehicular interchanges.

“In 2015, the BMC and the state government approached the Union government with a blue print of this project, seeking permission to reclaim the sea for building a coastal road. It was only after a thorough Environment Impact Assessment (EIA), a final clearance for this project was granted in 2017 by the Union government, on the condition that reclamation of sea was being allowed only for the purpose of creating a road and no commercial activity would be allowed in the space,” said an official involved with coastal road project.

As the second phase of the coastal road ends in Dahisar, the BMC has planned the 5.6-km long DBLR that is considered to be the final phase of coastal road within the limits of Mumbai district. Of the total length of this corridor, 1.5 km will be under jurisdiction of BMC, while 4.1 km will be under the jurisdiction of Mira-Bhayander Municipal Corporation (MBMC).

Pegged at a cost of Rs 4,027 crore, the DBLR will be 45-metre wide and will be built on stilts. It will have 4×4 lanes to allow smooth traffic flow. Civic officials said that lanes for passing emergency vehicles like ambulance and fire-brigade engines will also be created on both sides. The BMC is also exploring options for creating a multi-level car parking and creating a transport bay beneath this arterial road.

The BMC had awarded contract for this project last year. However, the actual work on ground is yet to begin considering the civic body is awaiting environmental clearances.

“This project will pass through mangrove patches and creeks, for which environment permissions are required. Considering the importance of this project we are expecting the permissions to come through within next two-three months as both the state and central governments are working seamlessly to achieve this project,” said an official.