As the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) gears up to open thefirst phase of the Mumbai Coastal Road Project (MCRP), a trial run of a double-decker BEST bus along with regular vehicles was conducted on Saturday afternoon.
Officially named Dharamveer Swaraj Rakshak Chhatrapati Shambaji Mumbai Coastal Road, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar is scheduled to inaugurate the high-speed corridor on Monday, March 11 as well as officially open it to the public.
Civic officials said a maximum speed limit of 80 kmph has been set for a major portion of Coastal Road, 60 kmph while driving through the undersea tunnels and 40 kmph at interchanges. The speed limit for BEST buses has been fxed to between 60-70 kmph.
There will an interchange each at Worli, Haji Ali and Amarsons Garden that motorists can use to switch to the mainland from the carriageway.
“The south bound arm of the MCRP will be operational from Monday, which will allow vehicles to ply between Worli and Marine Drive. This road will be open for traffic movement only between 8 am and 8 pm on weekdays since approximately 15 per cent of the balance work is still left and will be carried out in the night and on the weekends,” an official said.
The overall length of the MCRP is 10.58 kms. In the first phase, only 9.5 kms will be made operational and the remaining 1-km stretch, which will connect the road with the Bandra Worli Sea Link (BWSL), will be opened after the final under-construction bridge is completed.
Built at a cost of Rs 13,983 crore the MCRP will include a series of arterial roads along with underground tunnels and bridges.