Mumbai: The BMC opened arm 2 of the Haji Ali Interchange on Wednesday morning, further easing traffic flow from Haji Ali Junction to the Bandra-Worli Sea Link (BWSL) along the Mumbai Coastal Road. With this, six out of the eight entry-exit arms of the interchange are now operational.
The coastal road project is nearing completion, with around 95% of the work already finished. The ambitious coastal road is expected to be fully operational by January 2025, easing traffic between the island city and western suburbs.
The 10.58-km coastal road stretches from the Princess Street Flyover at Marine Drive to the Worli end of the BWSL. The project features multi-level interchanges at key locations, including Haji Ali, Peddar Road (Amarsons Garden), and Worli Sea Face.
While the Peddar Road interchange will have four entry-exit arms, the Haji Ali interchange will have eight, and the Worli interchange will have six. In addition to these interchanges, the BMC is constructing underground parking lots near all three interchanges to alleviate congestion.
The final 60-meter span connecting the southern carriageway of the Mumbai Coastal Road from the Worli end to the BWSL was completed on November 27. The civic body is now focusing on asphalting and lane marking to complete the remaining work.
In addition to the road construction, the BMC will soon begin developing 70 hectares of public open spaces along the coastal road, further enhancing the area's accessibility and aesthetics.
The Coastal Road project commenced in October 2018 with a total cost of Rs 13,983 crore. Meanwhile, the BMC has recently appointed a Project Management Consultant (PMC) for Phase 2 of the Coastal Road project. It will cover 18.47 km, establishing a vital connection between Versova and Dahisar. It will also feature a 4.46 km connector linking the road to the Goregaon-Mulund Link Road (GMLR).
Additionally, a 5.6 km long, 45-meter wide elevated section will be constructed to connect Dahisar to Bhayandar. This ambitious extension of the coastal road aims to enhance connectivity between the island city and the western suburbs, further easing traffic congestion and improving transportation infrastructure across the city.
The remaining two arms of the Haji Ali Interchange are expected to open by February 2025, once the construction of parking spaces below is completed. In addition, the BMC plans to open the second phase of the Coastal Road, which will connect to the Worli Sea Face, by January 26, 2025.
As part of the project’s overall development, the civic body has entrusted Tata Power with the beautification and 15-year maintenance of the five-hectare road divider, said civic official.
