Labour Shortage And Monsoon Stall Mumbai Coastal Road Opening Until October

Amid concerns about water seepage inside the tunnels of Mumbai's Coastal Road, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has postponed the full opening of the road by nearly five months, shifting the date from May to October this year.

Currently, 89.2 per cent of the project is complete, with 88 per cent of road construction and 91 per cent of interchange work finished.

The southbound phase (Worli to Marine Drive) of this high-speed corridor was inaugurated in March 2024 by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, along with Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar.

The second phase of the Mumbai Coastal Road, from Marine Drive to Haji Ali, will be opened by 10 June, Shinde announced on Tuesday (28 May). 

However, the BMC has now delayed the opening of the entire coastal road from the Bandra-Worli Sea Link to Marine Drive to October, nearly two years after the original deadline set for 2022 when the project began in December 2018.

Officials have cited two primary reasons for the current delay. First, around 20 per cent of the 6,500 workers employed at the site have returned to their native places, a common occurrence in May, causing a labour shortage. Second, the upcoming monsoon season will hinder the laying of bitumen, a crucial component for road construction.

“The plan is to open the northbound stretch of the road from Marine Drive to Haji Ali by June 10 and thereafter works will continue for the road up to Worli. Works such as laying of bitumen on the road need a dry spell and cannot be done during monsoon. So, we will not be able to carry out these works during the wet season,” an official associated with the coastal road project told ToI.

Officially named the Dharamveer Swaraj Rakshak Chhatrapati Shambaji Mumbai Coastal Road, the Rs 13,983-crore high-speed corridor built by the BMC is expected to reduce travel time between Worli and Marine Drive (9.5 km) to under 10 minutes, a journey that usually takes around 45 minutes during peak hours.