Mumbai: BMC Appoints Project Management Consultant For Coastal Road Phase 2, Investing ₹559 Crore In Services

Mumbai: After nine months of anticipation, the BMC has appointed a project management consultant (PMC) for its ambitious Mumbai Coastal Road Project Phase 2, a crucial step to ensure effective progress management and finalise contract designs.

The BMC is investing Rs. 559 crores in the consultant's services. The 18.47 km road will establish a vital connection between Versova and Dahisar, along with a 4.46 km connector to the Goregaon-Mulund Link Road (GMLR). The road will be further connected by a 5.6 km long, 45-meter wide elevated section that will link Dahisar to Bhayandar.

The VDLR will have double elevated roads, a road on stilts, a cable-stayed bridge, and an underground tunnel below Malad and Kandivali through mangrove creeks. It will provide connectivity with GMLR, which aims to connect the Western and Eastern Express Highways.

The project is divided into six packages, each with a separate contractor appointed in recent months. Currently, work on the project is in its initial stages. However, the project was stuck for several environmental clearances. Additionally, the civic body was unable to secure a PMC for the project since February.

The civic body could finally get clearances from the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) in August and from the Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) in September. Approvals are now pending from the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, as well as the Forest Department, particularly concerning mangrove areas.

"The PMCs will supervise overall work progress along with finalizing of contract design. They would be responsible for review of designs, drawings with respect to the actual site conditions and for suggesting modifications if required," said a civic official.

The BMC is also constructing a twin underground tunnel from Film City in Goregaon, located in the western suburbs, to Khindipada in Mulund, in the eastern suburbs. The 1.65-km-long, 6-meter-deep box tunnel will serve as an approach road to the 4.75-km six-lane tunnel, which will connect Film City to Khindipada.

The estimated cost of the VDLR project is Rs. 16,622 crore, with completion expected by 2029. Once finished, motorists will be able to travel from Nariman Point to Bhayander, reducing both cost and travel time.

VDLR - Package A - covers 4.5 km- between Versova and Bangur Nagar (Goregaon).

B - cover 1.66 between Bangur Nagar and Mindspace (Malad).

C and D - twin tunnels of 3.66km each between Mindspace and Charkop (Kandivali).

E - 3.78 km - will connect Charkop with Gorai

F - 3.69 km - connecting Gorai with Dahisar.

* GMLR aims to connect the western and eastern suburbs of Mumbai and will consist of twin tunnels spanning 12.20km.