In a bid to ease out Mumbai’s infamous traffic problem, government authorities have granted environment clearance for the construction of a proposed 35-km road connecting Kandivali and Nariman Point.

This four-lane road, connecting north and south Mumbai has been approved by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, at a cost of Rs 8,500 crore. The construction will involve reclamation, and is expected to free up to 91 hectares of green space. The Maharashtra government has also tied up with the Government of Netherlands for technical assistance. The Dutch experts are presently working on a project report, which will be ready in three months.

From the four lanes, two lanes will be reserved for the planned Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS). The coastal road will be linked to the upcoming Mumbai Metro III by underground tunnels. There will be two such submarine tunnels, each being 3.5 km long.

This project is aimed at reducing the heavy congestion on the Western Express Highway. But with this road underway, the state government has put on hold other important projects like the road from Nariman Point to Haji Ali, Haji Ali to Worli and Bandra to Versova.

Announcing the news on Twitter, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, “The coastal road will decongest traffic in Mumbai and create 91 hectares of green space." 

The draft notification is expected to come in by June 15 and the final notification by August 15. This plan was first put forward in 2011, but was put on hold indefinitely.

Under the present administration, this coastal road project is expected to be completed in two years. The Kandivali-Nariman Point road is a part of a Rs 60,000crore plan to upgrade Mumbai’s infrastructure.