Mumbai's Ambitious Coastal Road Project Completes Excavation Of First Tunnel
India's largest 12.19-meter diameter tunnels are being constructed 20 metres below the shore of the Arabian Sea and 70 metres below Malabar Hill.
Mumbai's most ambitious road project to decongest the city and provide relief from traffic marked a huge milestone today with the completion of the excavation of the first tunnel connecting the iconic Marine Drive to Priyadarshini Park. The tunnel passes under Malabar Hill, home to India's rich and famous. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray joined the occasion through video conferencing.
The twin tunnels of the coastal road will pass under Malabar Hill. India's largest 12.19-meter diameter tunnels are being constructed 20 metres below the shore of the Arabian Sea and 70 metres below Malabar Hill. It has three lanes for transportation for south and north-bound traffic. One of the lanes is proposed to be reserved for emergency transport. The Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) which is being used for building this tunnel has been named 'Mavala'.
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, whose dream project this is, said, "I am proud of the team today. I remember the day we started it. In between, we saw storms and the second wave of Covid and yet you kept the work going. This was an impossible project, and I am glad you made it a reality. In 1995, we built 55 flyovers and now we have embarked on this Coastal Road project. The BMC will complete the project on time."
Guardian Minister for Mumbai Suburbs Aaditya Thackeray tweeted, "On 11th January 2021, CM Uddhav Thackeray ji launched India's biggest Tunnel Boring Machine 'Mavala' to dig an underpass for the Mumbai Coastal Road, setting in motion an engineering magnificence. Today, just a day short of a year, we now behold the fruit of this vision."
"We witnessed the completion (excavation) of the 1st Tunnel from Priyadarshini Park towards Marine Drive. It was truly the most incredible moment! I thank all the BMC officials & engineers who've been working day & night to turn this dream project into a reality," he added.
The objective of the Coastal Road project is to provide an alternate North-South Trunk route for the people of Mumbai which provides improved mobility to relieve the traffic congestion in the city. It will also create much-needed recreational public open spaces and greenery as an example of sustainable development.
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