On first day, more than 16,000 vehicles used Mumbai coastal road, says BMC

According to numbers shared by the BMC, 16,331 vehicles accessed the four-lane southbound carriageway of the corridor within 12 hours after it was opened to the public on Tuesday

More than 16,000 vehicles used the Mumbai coastal road between Worli and Marine Lines on the first day of its operation, civic officials said on Wednesday, reported news agency PTI.

According to numbers shared by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), 16,331 vehicles accessed the four-lane southbound carriageway of the corridor within 12 hours after it was opened to the public on Tuesday, reported PTI.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday inaugurated the first phase, a 10.5-km-long stretch of the Mumbai coastal road, named 'Dharmaveer Sambhaji Maharaj Coastal Road'.

The toll-free road witnessed its peak traffic volume between 3 pm and 4 pm, with 1,941 vehicles, equivalent to 32 vehicles per minute, plying on it, said the civic body, reported PTI.

In the first operational hour, only 480 vehicles, or eight per minute, used the road, while the final hour figure stood at 496.

Throughout the day, a steady flow of traffic was seen on the road, with notable spikes between noon and 1 pm, 2 pm and 3 pm and from 3 pm to 4 pm, each seeing more than 30 vehicles per minute, reported PTI.

The civic body has decided to keep the road open for 12 hours daily, from 8 am to 8 pm, to expedite the remaining work. It plans to open the next phase of the road for traffic in May 2024, said officials, reported PTI.

The 53-km-long Mumbai coastal road, being constructed till Dahisar, will help the people in saving fuel and time, besides reducing pollution, the CM had said on Monday. The work on the ambitious project started on October 13, 2018, and its projected cost is Rs 12,721 crore, reported PTI.

Though designed for speeds exceeding 100 kmph, civic officials said, the Mumbai traffic police have imposed restrictions of 80 kmph outside the tunnel, 60 kmph inside the tunnel, and 40 kmph on curvatures.

Earlier, Mumbai civic chief Iqbal Singh Chahal had said that the opening of the coastal road's southbound carriageway between Worli and Marine Drive will reduce travel time from 40 minutes to just 9 minutes and save nearly USD 100 million annually in carbon emissions through fuel savings, reported news agency PTI.

(With inputs from PTI)

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