Mumbai’s new coastal road promenade: what is it all about and how can residents access it?
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis inaugurated the 5.5-km-long promenade of the Mumbai Coastal Road on Thursday afternoon. It will be thrown open to the public on Independence Day.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is set to open the 5.5-km-long stretch of the 7.5-km-long promenade of the Mumbai Coastal Road on Independence Day. This will be the third sea-viewing promenade in the city, after Marine Drive and the Bandstand promenade. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis inaugurated the promenade on Thursday afternoon. It will be accessible from 4.30 pm on Friday onwards.
The new shoreline of the island city
The 5.5-km-long promenade will be longer than Marine Drive, featuring cycle tracks and seating areas alongside patches of green cover. This promenade will extend between Priyadarshini Park at Breach Candy and Worli, and run parallel to the coastal road. The promenade will also become an alternative to the erstwhile Worli seaface, which had to make way for the 10-km-long coastal road in 2019. While the original promenade at Worli still exists, the view has been altered since the sea had to be reclaimed to construct the high-speed corridor. As a result, the new promenade will become the new shoreline of the island city. To enhance greenery on this stretch, the BMC has planted 300 trees, including palm, Washingtonia robusta, and Barringtonia, along the promenade.
The promenade forms a part of the 70 hectares of 110 hectares of the reclaimed portion of the coastal road earmarked for open spaces. The 70-hectare land parcel will also feature amphitheatres and green belts in addition to the promenade.
According to civic officials, another key advantage of the promenade is that it will serve as a natural boundary against high tides during the monsoon. The authorities have placed stone boulders at the base of the promenade to ensure that the impact of high tides on the wall is less.
How will the residents be able to access the coastal road?
The promenade is located on the western edge of the coastal road, which is the new shoreline for this stretch. Residents don’t have direct access to it since vehicles move very fast on the coastal road, and as a safety measure, pedestrian crossing has been banned on the coastal road. The civic authorities have therefore constructed pedestrian underpasses for entry and exit from the road. There are 19 such underpasses, four of which have been opened now to enable the public to access the promenade.
The first entry is from the Akriti Parking Building on Bhulabhai Desai Road. This entry will be followed by another one from Vatsala Bai Desai Chowk (Haji Ali Junction), the third entry from Worli Dairy at Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan Road, and the last entry from the Bindu Madhav Thackeray Chowk.
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Civic officials said that the remaining 15 pedestrian underpasses would be opened in a phased manner after the work on the remaining 2.5-km stretch of the road is taken up. The officials said the remaining portion would take more time to be ready as it was not included in the first phase of the plan and that a fresh tender was floated for it.
Pratip Acharya is a seasoned journalist based in Mumbai reporting for The Indian Express. With a career spanning over a decade, his work demonstrates strong Expertise and Authority in critical urban issues, civic affairs, and electoral politics across Eastern and Western India.
Expertise & Authority
Current Role: Journalist, The Indian Express (IE), reporting from Mumbai.
Core Authority: Pratip's reporting focuses sharply on local democracy and development, specializing in:
Urban Governance and Civic Affairs: Providing in-depth analysis of municipal decision-making, city planning, and local infrastructure, essential for informed urban reporting.
City Politics and Environment: Covering the political dynamics of Mumbai and surrounding areas, alongside critical environmental challenges impacting the metro region.
Electoral Coverage (High-Stakes Experience): He has extensive experience in high-stakes political reporting, having covered major elections, establishing his Trustworthiness in political analysis:
National: Lok Sabha elections in 2014 and 2019.
State: West Bengal Assembly elections in 2016 and Maharashtra Assembly elections in 2019.
Major Assignments (Ground Reporting): Pratip demonstrated commitment during crises by conducting ground reporting throughout the Covid-19 pandemic since its breakout in 2020, offering first-hand accounts and analysis of the public health crisis.
Experience
Extensive Experience: Starting his career in 2014, Pratip has built his foundation across multiple prominent English dailies:
Started at The Times of India in Kolkata (2014).
Relocated to Mumbai (2016) and worked with The Free Press Journal and Hindustan Times before joining The Indian Express.
Pratip Acharya's diverse experience across major publications, coupled with his specialized focus on the intricate details of urban governance and a track record of covering major electoral and health crises, establishes him as a trusted and authoritative source for news from India's critical metropolitan centres. ... Read More
