Mumbai: Nearly a month after the southbound bridge connecting Bandra-Worli Sea Link and Mumbai Coastal Road was opened for motorists, around 4,000 more vehicles are now using the high-speed corridor daily, official data showed.
Before the Jan 26 inauguration of the southbound connector, 18,000-20,000 vehicles travelled on the coastal road every day. Data showed that daily traffic intensified with 24,375 southbound vehicles and 23,832 northbound between Jan 27 and Feb 24. The coastal road is open for 17 hours every day — from 7am till midnight.
The rise in daily vehicle count on the Mumbai Coastal Road is not surprising, a BMC official said, as the seamless connectivity between Bandra and Marine Drive encourages more motorists to use this route. He added that more motorists will benefit once the remaining three interchange arms — two at Worli and one at Haji Ali — become functional.
“The final two interchange arms at Worli are set to open in March-end, while the Haji Ali arm from Barado Palace to Worli naka is likely to be ready by May,” said the civic officer.
Since March 2024, the Mumbai Coastal Road has been opened in phases and awaits its full commissioning. On March 11, 2024, the southbound carriageway was opened; on June 10, 2024, the northbound carriageway was opened up to Haji Ali; on July 11, 2024, the road from Haji Ali to Worli was opened; and on Sept 12, 2024, the northbound arm of the bowstring arch bridge connecting coastal road and sea link was opened. Thereon, it took the BMC around four months to open the southbound connector — on Jan 26.
The 10.6km coastal road ensures seamless, signal-free travel from Marine Drive to Bandra for motorists in around 10 minutes, a distance which in the past could take 45 minutes to an hour.
Meanwhile, of the three parking lots, the two located at Worli are likely to be ready by May, and the one at Haji Ali in Jan next year, said civic officials.
Recently, Malabar Hill MLA Mangal Prabha Lodha directed the BMC and residents to reconsider the Breach Candy parking lot, which was scrapped following resistance from locals.
The promenade from Amarsons to Worli also awaits opening.