13 September,2024 10:08 AM IST | Mumbai | Prajakta Kasale
A bird’s eye view of the Coastal Road
With the final stretch connecting the Coastal Road to the Bandra-Worli Sea Link thrown open for northbound traffic, there won't be any more free rides. Commuters will have to pay toll at the Bandra exit. On Thursday, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis inaugurated one of the connectors near the Bandra-Worli Sea Link. The stretch for southbound traffic will take three to four months to complete. This marks the third opening for the 10.5-km stretch of the coastal bridge within three months, with at least one more in the coming months. Meanwhile, Dy CM Ajit Pawar didn't attend the event.
CM Shinde and Dy CM Fadnavis at the ribbon cutting ceremony. Pics/Atul Kamble
The stretch that was opened on Thursday was meant for southbound traffic but has been opened for northbound commuters for the time being. Once the other stretch is ready, this connector will be used for southbound traffic. Traffic will be allowed from 7 am today. Until now, vehicles had to exit at the Worli Sea Face road and then move onto the Bandra-Worli Sea Link as the connector wasn't ready. This development also means a ride on the Rs 13,000 crore Coastal Road, which is toll-free will not be free anymore. Vehicles that move directly onto the sea link will have to pay Rs 100 at the Bandra exit.
CM Shinde told the media that the road would cut travel time from two hours down to 20 minutes to reach Bandra. "The work of the Bandra-Versova Coastal Road is also going on⦠it will eventually connect to Virar and help a lot of commuters avoid traffic." Along with Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis, Guardian Ministers Mangal Prabhat Lodha and Deepak Kesarkar, Additional Chief Secretary I S Chahal, and BMC Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani were present on the occasion. Meanwhile, Dy CM Ajit Pawar was missing: When asked about his absence, Fadnavis said that he (Pawar) had already informed the CM. "He is with us and will travel on the same road."
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CM Shinde breaks a coconut at the inauguration
Reacting to the inauguration, Shiv Sena UBT leader Aaditya Thackeray posted on X: "It's a joke that the clueless and illegal CM of the regime is inaugurating every km of the delayed Coastal Road. He should in fact be ashamed about the delay and cost escalations. The fact that the road surface in the tunnel and on the ramps is already horrible⦠in less than six months, speaks volumes about the corrupt regime. Had our MVA government continued, we would have completed this project of Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray by December 2023, with the walking and cycling pathways and the 96-hectare green space.
Toll receipt after travel on new connector
Fadnavis, while inaugurating the connector, blamed the Uddhav Thackeray government for the slow pace of construction of the Coastal Road. "The road started in the regime of Mahayuti government and after we came to power again we improved the pace of work. In fact Uddhav Thackeray ignored the requests of fishermen to increase the span between the pillars, but we fulfilled it." Apart from one connector, arms at Worli are still incomplete and will take another six to eight months to be ready. The work of parking lots and gardens is still in the planning stage.
Third Coastal Road event since March
>> March 11: Southbound arm of Coastal Road route, between Worli and Marine Lines opened
>> June 10: Northbound arm from Marine Lines to Lotus Jetty through Haji Ali opened
>> July 11: Stretch of Coastal Road from Haji Ali to Khan Abdul Gafar Khan Road opened without formal inauguration
>> September 12: Arch bridge opened. This was scheduled for opened by the end of July, but it was postponed due to due to the monsoon and technical issues
