Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, along with Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis inaugurated the ‘bow-string’ arch bridge, which will connect the Mumbai Coastal Road and Bandra Worli Sea Link (BWSL), on Thursday.
The arch bridges weigh around 4,000 metric tonnes (MT) and have an average length of 140 metre. Currently, the coastal road is operational between 7am and 11pm on weekdays.
The Coastal Road, estimated to cost about Rs 14,000 crore, will provide a direct connection with the Bandra-Worli Sea Link, reducing travel time between south Mumbai and suburbs and improving the overall commuting experience.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his deputies Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar will inspect the new connection between the Coastal Road and the sea link on Thursday afternoon before it is opened for vehicular traffic the next day, BMC officials said on Wednesday.
“Vehicles travelling towards north can directly avail the sea-link without exiting from the Worli interchange. Meanwhile, the point of entry for the south-bound vehicles traveling towards Nariman Point remains unchanged from Worli and Haji Ali,” said an official.
Northbound vehicles traveling from south Mumbai to Bandra via the Coastal Road can now access the sea link directly between 7 am and 11 pm. However, southbound traffic must continue on the current route until both arms of the Coastal Road are fully connected with the sea link, according to a civic official.
This is the fourth phase of the road’s phased opening. Previously, the southbound arm from Worli to Marine Drive was opened on March 11. The northbound carriageway was partially opened on June 10 from Marine Drive to Haji Ali, and the stretch from Haji Ali to Worli was completed on July 11. Motorists can now travel from Marine Drive to Worli in under 15 minutes. Despite this improvement, traffic congestion still occurs near the Worli exit during peak hours due to the lack of a direct link with the Bandra Worli Sea Link.
Construction of the ambitious 10.58-km-long project began in October 2018.