Mumbai

The upcoming Coastal Road tunnel between Orange Gate and Marine Drive in south Mumbai will save “thousands of hours for thousands of people”, said Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday.

The tunnel, with both ducts together spanning 9.25 km, will be an engineering feat. It will run beneath the Central Railway and Western Railway tracks, and even 50 metres below the underground Metro 3 line, he said.

“Thousands of hours for thousands of people will be saved,” Fadnavis said at the site, where the tunnel boring machine (TBM) for the project was launched in the morning.

The tunnel will be constructed under 700 structures, including many heritage properties, said the CM.

As per the current plan, the Orange Gate-Marine Drive underground tunnel is expected to be completed by 2028, but they are striving to finish the project six months before the deadline, said Fadnavis.

The tunnel will provide an alternative route to the residents of south Mumbai and those living in the western suburbs of the metropolis to reach the Navi Mumbai international airport, as another connector between Sewri and Worli is under construction.

The Coastal Road currently connects Marine Drive to Worli, where it links with the Bandra-Worli Sea Link.

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Deputy CM Ekanath Shinde, Mumbai Guardian minister Mangal Prasad Lodha and Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar were among those present at the TBM launch function.