A vehicular underpass that is part of the coastal road project, near the Worli end of Bandra-Worli Sea Link, was opened to traffic on Friday. The underpass goes below Abdul Gaffar Khan Road and connects JK Kapoor Chowk, which handles traffic from Prabhadevi and Dadar, to the coastal road. After its cut-and-cover portion, traffic is split into two directions: one towards Bandra and the other onto the southbound coastal road. This is the only vehicular underpass that is a part of the project. The 10km road has around 16 pedestrian underpasses that connect to the seaside promenade.Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) has been officially appointed to develop the open spaces along the coastal road. RIL has to submit its design to BMC for approval. Locals have demanded a ‘coastal forest’ along the undeveloped stretches and a proposal on it was submitted to BMC last week.Many citizens have also criticised the lack of shade and greenery on the new promenade beyond coastal road’s entry tunnel, considered one of the widest pedestrian spaces in the city. A local said greenery along the stretch should have been prioritised by the planners. tnn