Mumbai’s coastal road witnesses 16,331 vehicles on day one, says BMC

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

According to numbers shared by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, Brihanmumbai (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.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday inaugurated the first phase a 10.5-km-long stretch of the 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. 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.

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.

The 53-km-long 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. 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.