Coastal road to save USD 100 million annually in carbon emissions: Mumbai civic chief

MUMBAI: The opening of the coastal road's southbound carriageway between Worli and Marine Drive will reduce travel time from 40 minutes to just 9 minutes and save nearly USD 100 million annually in carbon emissions through fuel savings, Mumbai civic chief Iqbal Singh Chahal has said.

The first phase of the coastal road project was inaugurated by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday morning. The public has been allowed to use it from 8 am on Tuesday.

"The travelling time will be reduced from 40 minutes to 9 minutes now, and it would save nearly $100 million annually in carbon emissions through fuel savings," Chahal said on Monday.

The coastal road of 10.58 km length and 16.5 km of interchanges, being built at a cost of Rs 14,000 crore, consists of four lanes on each side along with two 12.19 metre diameter tunnels of 2.07 km length, he said.

These are the largest tunnels by diameter built by tunnel boring machines in the country, Chahal said.

"It is for the first time in India that a four-lane coastal road has been built 100 per cent on land reclaimed from the sea and stands on monopiles only," he said.

"The project has been executed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in record time as the actual construction work commenced only in June 2020 after vacation of stay order by the high court even though work order was issued in October 2018. The northbound carriageway of the coastal road will be ready by May 2024," he said.

The coastal road will have 175 acres of coastal gardens that will be developed over time, said Chahal, who is the BMC's administrator.

Meanwhile, hitting out at the state government, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray blamed the Centre for delaying coastal road permissions by almost three years.

Referring to Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis as "half DCM", he said, "The half-DCM says some permissions were given by them...it is their job! And yet it was delayed by the Central Govt for almost 3 years... I have tweeted about the delay and constant follow up with the Union Environment Minister back then, available on my timeline."

In a long post on X, Thackeray blamed the Shinde government for "delaying the partial inauguration of the delayed coastal road".

The date (of inauguration) changed several times since February19, the Sena (UBT) leader claimed.

"The half DCM can claim all credit, as is the habit, but Mumbai knows," he said, adding the BJP-led government takes every chance to insult Maharashtra and trouble Mumbai.