Mumbai is set for significant changes in connectivity and infrastructure over the next five years. Maharashtra government planning a series of road, tunnel and redevelopment projects across the city and the wider metropolitan region, reported PTI.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis outlined the plans while interacting with industrialists at a programme organised by Avaada Group in Nagpur on Sunday. He said the government’s work would cover not just infrastructure creation but also broader redevelopment of Mumbai.
“Mumbai is transforming, and every year one can find a different Mumbai. Five years from now, Mumbai will change significantly as the government is not only working on infrastructure but also on the overall redevelopment,” he said.
Coastal Road expansion to continue towards north Mumbai
Fadnavis said that once the existing Coastal Road project is completed, the government will push for the Bandra-Versova stretch by 2028. He added that the north-bound coastal road from Versova to Bhayandar is targeted for completion by March 2029.
“Mumbai’s current problem is that around 60 per cent of traffic moves along the Western Express Highway. A parallel road without signals is being constructed. Life in Mumbai will change dramatically in future,” he said.
The government expects the parallel road network to provide an alternative to the Western Express Highway and help address traffic pressure on one of Mumbai’s key road corridors.
Thane-Borivali tunnel aims to cut travel time
Fadnavis also highlighted the upcoming twin tunnels between Thane and Borivali as a major east-west connectivity project.
“Today, one has to take a long detour, and covering about 23 km of distance takes roughly one-and-a-half hours. But with these twin tunnels, you’ll be able to go from Thane to Borivali in just 15 to 17 minutes,” Fadnavis said, adding that the work has started from both sides, and hopefully within the next three to four years it will be completed.
He said other east-west links, including a tunnel in Mulund, would also contribute to faster movement across Mumbai.
“I believe these projects and several flyovers are decongesting Mumbai in different ways. Now we are preparing a new loop, where the Bandra-Worli Sea Link ends. A tunnel will be carved out up to BKC and open near the bullet train station in BKC (Bandra Kurla Complex).
“From BKC, one arm will go to Kurla and another arm to T2 (Terminal 2) of the airport. Another arm will directly connect to the North Coastal Road,” he said.
Fadnavis said that once the loop is ready, travelling across Mumbai could take around 45 minutes, reducing the current journey time by 14 minutes.
Mumbai 3.0 and Mumbai 4.0 in focus
Fadnavis also urged industrialists to focus on what he described as ‘Mumbai Three’ and ‘Mumbai Four’ as the next areas of urban and economic expansion.
“Mumbai Three will be an urban ecosystem for the next generation. The urbanisation-driven part of India’s economy will be created in ‘Mumbai Three’,” he added.
The third Mumbai includes notified areas within the influence zone of the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, also known as Atal Setu, and the Navi Mumbai Airport Influence Notified Area, or NAINA.
The proposed “Fourth Mumbai” is planned as a major urban and economic growth hub in Palghar district near Vadhavan. The state government sees the area as part of a broader effort to ease pressure on the existing metropolitan region and expand economic activity.
New airport plan near Virar
Fadnavis said the government is planning to develop ‘Mumbai Four’, including a proposal for an offshore airport near Kore beach on the north side of Virar.
He said the proposed airport would be the country’s first offshore airport and the third airport in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
“We have finished the pre-feasibility study and are preparing the DPR,” he said, adding that the government is also attempting to introduce a new integrated ecosystem in Maharashtra.
Together, the planned coastal road extensions, east-west tunnels, new road links and expansion areas form part of the government’s broader plan to reshape Mumbai’s connectivity and urban development over the coming years.