The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has more than doubled its allocation for the Mumbai Coastal Road (North) project, proposing Rs 4,700 crore in the BMC Budget 2026 estimates compared with Rs 2,100 crore in the revised estimate for 2025-26.
The Mumbai civic body said that it was focusing on expanding road infrastructure and improving east-west connectivity across Mumbai.
The Mumbai Coastal Road (North) project will run from the Versova Interchange to the Dahisar Interchange. It will also include an elevated connector linking Mindspace in Malad to the starting point of the Goregaon-Mulund Link Road (GMLR) in Goregaon (East).
The corridor is designed to connect South Mumbai and the western suburbs with Mulund and Thane. The entire project is expected to be completed by July 2029.
All key permissions have been secured from authorities including the Maharashtra Maritime Board, Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority, and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the budget document said, adding that approval has also been granted by the Bombay High Court. Utility diversion works were currently underway.
Key features
– Capacity of around 78,000 passenger car units (PCUs) daily between Versova and Malad, and 62,000 PCUs between Malad and Dahisar.
– 14.2-metre diameter tunnels – the largest in India.
– Multi-level interchanges to ease congestion.
– Open gantries and viewing galleries.
– Expected reduction in travel time between Versova and Dahisar by 30 to 40 minutes.
– Estimated 48 per cent reduction in carbon emissions.
An elevated stretch from Dahisar (West) to Bhayandar (West), known as the Coastal Road last leg, is also planned. It is expected to benefit around 75,000 vehicles daily and is scheduled for completion by January 2029.
Goregaon-Mulund Link Road Progress
The GMLR project is being implemented in four phases. Phase 3 includes twin underground tunnels passing through the Sanjay Gandhi National Park and Aarey Colony, built using advanced technology to limit environmental impact and reduce land acquisition costs.
So far, 48 per cent of the Goregaon-Mulund flyover work and 18 per cent of the tunnel construction have been completed. The full project is expected to be ready by 2028.
Once completed, travel time between Goregaon and Mulund is expected to fall from 90 minutes to 20 minutes, cutting fuel costs and lowering emissions.
The BMC has proposed Rs 2,650 crore for the GMLR in 2026-27, up from Rs 1,100 crore in the revised 2025-26 estimate.
Rs 9,650 crore for bridge department
The Bridge Department has been allocated Rs 9,650 crore in the 2026-27 Budget estimates, compared with Rs 5,515.09 crore in the revised estimate for 2025-26.
Mumbai has a road network of around 2,118 km maintained by the BMC. The civic body is currently concreting 700 km of roads in two phases. So far, 342 km have been completed.
About 75 per cent of Phase I and 50 per cent of Phase II works are complete. Phase I is expected to finish by May 2026 and Phase II by December 2026.
Push for walkable footpaths
Under its Universal Footpath Policy, the BMC plans to upgrade footpaths across the city, eastern suburbs and western suburbs to make them more pedestrian and disability friendly.
Parking and traffic measures
To reduce congestion, 65 on-street paid parking sites are now operational, offering space for 8,258 vehicles. Work has also been awarded for 37 public parking facilities with a combined capacity of 29,769 vehicles.
An underground parking facility is planned near the Shri Siddhivinayak Ganpati Temple as part of area redevelopment works.
The BMC is also rolling out a Smart Parking Project on a public-private partnership basis. Initially covering 530 new parking sites, the system will allow motorists to book parking spaces through a mobile application.
A total of Rs 6,875 crore has been proposed for the Roads and Traffic Department in 2026-27.
Coastal Road (south) fully open
The Mumbai Coastal Road project has been fully opened to traffic. A 5.25 km promenade between Priyadarshani Park and Haji Ali, and from Baroda Palace to Worli, has been accessible to the public since 15 August 2025.
The coastal road has reduced travel time by 70 per cent between Princess Street Flyover and the Bandra-Worli Sea Link, while cutting fuel costs by 30 per cent.
A 53-hectare green belt is also being developed along the reclaimed land, aimed at creating a large public garden.
‘Melody Road’ introduced
In a first for India, the BMC has introduced a 500-metre ‘Melody Road’ stretch on the northbound carriageway of the Coastal Road between Amerson Garden and Mahalakshmi Temple. Using Hungarian technology, specially designed grooves in the road surface produce musical sounds when vehicles travel at a designated speed.
For the Coastal Road (South) project, Rs 950 crore has been proposed in the BMC Budget 2026 estimates.
