Mumbai Coastal Road Project: Is it an ambitious infrastructure project or an urban dilemma? Dive into expert analysis here

Mumbai received the moniker of the city of dreams because lakhs of people have come to this metropolis, along the western coast of India, to try their luck out. Today, the city houses at least crores of people. With an increasing populace, the city also saw its urban landscape transform.

The coastal city has witnessed its fair share of ambitious infrastructure projects and it will be presented with yet another "modern marvel"--the Mumbai Coastal Road. Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai or BMC has--since the announcement of this project--dubbed it as their most ambitious project. It was envisioned to revolutionise travel and commerce by connecting the northern and southern ends of the city.

In Pics: Aerial view of under-construction Mumbai Coastal Road Expressway along Arabian Sea

9 months agoPHOTO GALLERY

The proponents say that the toll-free nature of the project, as well as the establishment of green spaces and recreational places along the coastline, will benefit the city's infrastructure and urban landscape.

However, with such lofty ambitions come equally substantial considerations for gains and losses. As bulldozers and construction workers remodel Mumbai's shoreline, residents, experts, and policymakers face a slew of issues regarding the project's effects on traffic congestion, environmental sustainability, community well-being, and economic development. Will the coastal road project keep its promises of shorter travel times and improved connectivity, or will it exacerbate existing issues while creating new ones?

Transport experts weigh in

Some transport experts based in the city weighed their opinions. AV Shenoy, a senior transport expert with Mumbai Mobility Forum, remarked that the Coastal Road will benefit the car users, while Jagdeep Desai, Architect and Founder trustee of Forum for Improving Quality of Life in Mumbai Suburbs, noted that it cannot be determined how beneficial the coastal road project given the pattern of travel.

Desai, when asked about what the city stands to gain from the Coastal Road Project, remarked, "It is difficult to say. Most travels are short-distance trips and have their destinations within existing road routes, which are congested due to zero traffic discipline enforcement, ongoing construction of the metro, etc."

He said, "Mumbai Coastal Road, like most infrastructure projects, appears to be disjointed, not coordinated or seamlessly connected with the rest of Mumbai's road network."

Citing the Mumbai-Pune Expressway as an illustration, he said that the corridor connecting the two major cities of Maharashtra state offers a smooth 90-kilometre driving however it is congested at the entry points for either city. The expert said that a similar thing is bound to happen with the coastal road with connector points experiencing bottlenecks.

Also Read: Aerial view of under-construction Mumbai Coastal Road Expressway along Arabian Sea

AV Shenoy, echoing similar thoughts, said that the coastal road project will only indirectly benefit the commuters taking public transport.

"Those travelling in cars from Nariman Point to Worli will gain from the Coastal Road. They usually face traffic congestion at Peddar Road, Haji Ali, Breach Candy and Hughes Road. The authorities have not been able to find a solution for it. But the common man, the commuters who use buses and other means of public transport, they may marginally benefit since the present congestion on these roads will be reduced," he remarked.

Coastal Road's impact on connectivity & urban development

Shenoy, answering a query regarding the impact of Coastal Road on connectivity and the overall transportation network in Mumbai, said that it is not likely to have an impact on overall transportation since it is a separate project. It is not integrated with metro or any other transport.

"The coastal road project will surely improve connectivity for one can travel from one location to another without traffic congestion; however, since it is not integrated with the suburban railway network in South Mumbai or the upcoming Metro Line 3, I don't see impacting the overall transportation in the city, especially on the internal roads like Mohammed Ali Road, Lamington Road," he said.

The Real Estate sector and residents of sea-facing areas-especially those in localities near Haji Ali, and Worli sea face-stand to benefit since they will now get a higher Floor Space Index (FSI) due to the Coastal Zone Regulation region being moved from 500 meters to 50 meters. The redevelopment will fetch more money, the developers will be happy, Shenoy remarked.

Meanwhile, Desai noted that Coastal Road will not have much impact on connectivity. "In my view, not much, if at all, considering the lack of intermediate No one will go to the coastal road open spaces for fun voluntarily," he said.

Environmental impact of Coastal Road

As the ambitious project nears completion, concerns over the environmental impact of this large-scale project have also come into focus.

When asked about the potential impact of the project on marine ecosystems and the air quality of the city, Stalin D of Vanashakti remarked, "The entire coastline has been polluted due to the dumping of alien soil into the sea. Reclamation though unscientific as it is, should always have been done using marine dredged soil. That would have helped the coastal waters remain healthy. The corals that got destroyed/relocated as claimed is something we will never really know the truth about. Loss of shallow water and rocky outcrops have taken away the space for fauna that depend on it like crabs, molluscans etc. The movement of thousands of dumpers carting mud and dumping it into the sea invariably has contributed greatly to the particulate matter contamination in the air we breathe. This has been verified by the pollution board as well."

Also Read: Mumbai Coastal Road Project: The politics, the controversies and the challenges

When asked if the MCRP aligns with long-term sustainability goals, he said that with the project, the city has been pushed further into a crisis. He further stated that Coastal Road has put the shoreline areas at risk of high erosion.

"When the sea level rises, science tells us to move back and not invade the sea. The risk of inland flooding has also increased in the city. There are no studies done to understand the impact of this project on the coast and I am very sure the next project coming up to cover up the monumental blunder of making the road on reclamation instead of stilts is a sea wall all along the coast of Mumbai to Palghar and beyond," he said.

Could there be alternative transportation solutions?

When asked whether there is alternative transportation that could achieve a similar effect, all the respondents highlighted that augmenting the existing transportation would have benefitted the city.

Responding to the query, Desai remarked that the suburban railway network could implement a Universal Time Table or Cyclical Time Table.

To reduce overcrowding and improve efficiency in Mumbai's suburban railway network, the Suburban Railway Passenger Users Association recommended implementing a Universal Time Table, also known as the Cyclical Time Table, he said.

He added, that this strategy is destination-specific and focuses on minimising loads while providing a low-cost, high-value solution. The Universal Time Table attempts to reduce train congestion by one-third while also boosting capacity by one-third through increased frequency.

It was planned to reduce crowding on trains by one-third and increase capacity by one-third by increasing frequency without adding more trains or lengthening the rakes, he further noted.

Also Read: Mumbai Coastal Road will be ready in full splendour only by December 2025

Meanwhile, Shenoy backs the idea of having a dedicated bus lane on the coastal road. He stated that the MCGM had said that MCR (Mumbai Coastal Road) will have a dedicated bus lane (DBL) aiming to decongest traffic snarls and added that if it is implemented, it will benefit the common man.

Much like Shenoy, Stalin too backed having DBL and noted that air-conditioned public transport buses plying from one end of the city to the other "will help better". He stated that running trans from CSMT to Karjat and from Churchgate to Virar at 3-minute intervals will help address the issues too. But these are cheap easily implementable solutions hence they are ignored, he remarked.

Attracting more traffic into South Mumbai is absurd. The metro 3 was built under the excuse of reducing traffic. What does the coastal road then do, Stalin questioned.

More on Coastal Road

The Mumbai Coastal Road Project, officially known as the Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Coastal Motorway, is a major infrastructure project aimed at addressing Mumbai's long-standing traffic congestion.

When completed, the coastal route will be 29.2 km long, with eight lanes, including dedicated bus lanes, extending from Marine Lines in the south to Kandivali in the north along Mumbai's western shore. The Rs 13,060 crore project aims to improve connectivity and reduce traffic congestion in the city.

The project's construction is being carried out in stages, with Phase 1 completed and Phase 2 starting. Phase 1 is a 10.58-kilometre stretch from Princess Street Flyover to the Bandra-Worli Sea Link, and includes reclaimed land portions, bridges, tunnels, interchanges, floodgates, and subterranean parking facilities, among other infrastructural elements.

Meanwhile, Phase 2 will cover the remaining 18.62 km from Bandra-Worli Sea Link to Kandivali. Once fully operational, the coastal route is intended to cut travel time between South Mumbai and the Western Suburbs from two hours to 40 minutes, improving overall mobility and accessibility for residents.