The Mumbai Coastal Road Project is one of the most ambitious ongoing road projects in the island city. For the last six months, the twin tunnels of the project have been in use by the people. Now, a set of tunnels running 40 metres below the surface are being planned under the project’s second phase, The Indian Express said. Phase 2 will run between Mindspace in Malad and Kandivali’s Charkop Gaon.
Mumbai Coastal Road: High-speed corridor Versova with Dahisar
The second phase involves constructing a 22.93 km high-speed corridor connecting Versova to Dahisar, spanning Mumbai’s northwestern suburbs.
A 4-km stretch of the project, consisting of twin tunnels, will pass beneath densely populated areas in North Mumbai, including the Poisar River, Madh Creek, and mangrove regions.
The total cost of the project is estimated at Rs 16,621 crore, with Rs 5,821 crore earmarked specifically for the twin tunnels, IE reported.
Mumbai: Underwater tunnels
Each of the twin tunnels will span 3.9 kilometres, making them twice the length of the existing MCRP tunnels that connect Marine Drive with Priyadarshini Park (PDP) in Breach Candy, passing beneath Girgaon Chowpatty and Malabar Hill. This new tunnel will be the first in Mumbai to accommodate vehicular traffic beneath rivers and creeks.
Additional municipal commissioner looking over the project, Abhijit Bangar, told IE that the northern and southern end of the tunnels will originate from Charkop and Mindspace (Malad). These two tunnels will be running parallel to each other and be a part of the packages C and D of the phase two of MCRP. The phase has been divided into six packages.
“Considering the tunnels will pass below mangrove patches, rivers and creeks, we can say that this will be Mumbai’s first vehicular tunnels that will pass underneath water bodies,” Bangar added.
“Earlier, it was proposed that the twin tunnels of the Goregaon Mulund Link Road (GMLR) would pass below the Vihar and Tulsi lakes of Mumbai, however, their alignment was later changed,” he added.
The tunnels will be constructed using a Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) with a diameter of 14.2 metres. The remaining 700 meters will feature a rectangular cut-and-cover design, with 200-meter entry and exit ramps, and a tunnel separation of 15.1 meters.
Each tunnel will feature three lanes and five emergency cross passages, with widths ranging from 36 to 45 meters. They will be equipped with advanced fire prevention systems, ventilation, and heat sensors.
Bangar explained that the underground construction is designed to safeguard the mangroves, preventing ecological damage and the need for complex compensatory planting.
Phase two is divided into six packages: Package A covers 4.5 km from Versova to Bangur Nagar (Goregaon), Package B spans 1.66 km from Bangur Nagar to Mindspace (Malad). Packages C and D include the twin tunnels. Package E extends 3.78 km, linking Charkop to Gorai, while the final Package F covers 3.69 km, connecting Gorai to Dahisar.