On Thursday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde inaugurated the new ‘bow-string’ arch bridge, which connects the Coastal Road to the Bandra-Worli Sea Link. Previously, the commute between Marine Drive and Bandra took approximately 45 minutes, but with this new infrastructure, it has been reduced to around 10 minutes.
The Chief Minister remarked that traveling between these two locations has become much more enjoyable and convenient for the residents of Mumbai.
The newly constructed bridge enables vehicles traveling from South Mumbai to Bandra via the Coastal Road to access the sea link directly from 7 am to 11 pm. Vehicles heading south will need to stick to the current route until the two parts of the Coastal Road are linked to the sea link.
The Chief Minister assured that in the next two years, Mumbai will experience a significant transformation, with entirely concrete roads that will eliminate potholes as part of the city’s beautification initiative.
“Previously, traffic on this route was congested, but now we can travel more swiftly, saving time and fuel while reducing pollution. This route is now signal-free. We had promised to open this span by September 15, and we are ahead of schedule. In the next two years, Mumbai will have completely concrete roads, free of potholes, and the city will be beautified. The reduced travel time will also lead to lower petrol consumption and emissions, contributing to a cleaner environment,” the CM stated.
The gathering held at Bindu Mandhav Thackeray Chowk in Worli saw the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, BMC Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani, and Iqbal Singh Chahal, the former BMC chief who currently serves as the Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister’s office.
Shinde highlighted that the BMC has planted 150,000 trees to help lower pollution levels in the city.
Getting from South Bombay to the airport now takes around thirty minutes, a remarkable reduction from the previous time of over an hour.
The Mumbai Coastal Road project, spanning 10.58 kilometers, commenced construction in October 2018.