India’s first undersea twin tunnels to open in November

The 2.07-km undersea twin tunnels, a part of the Rs 12,721-crore Mumbai Coastal Road Project, will open in November

The 10.58-km MCRP links Marine Drive to the Bandra-Worli Sea Link and is just one part of the Coastal Road project

The tunnels, which have a diameter of 12.19 metres, run 17-20 metres below sea level

There will be six cross passages inside the tunnel — four for pedestrians and two for motorists. Each tunnel has three lanes of 3.2 m each

The project saw the use of the largest ever tunnel boring machine in the history of India

Named Mavala, the TBM weighs more than 1,700 tonnes and is nearly 12 m tall

After year-long mining operations, Mavala made its first breakthrough from the Girgaon end in January 2022.