Mumbai Clears Final Hurdles For Coastal Road Extension Work To Begin Soon
Mumbai’s long-awaited Coastal Road expansion cleared its final regulatory and land hurdles this week, paving the way for work to begin on extending the corridor northward to Virar in Palghar district. Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal announced that all necessary approvals including environmental, forest, and coastal regulation zone clearances have now been secured, marking a breakthrough for one of Mumbai’s most ambitious infrastructure projects.
The Coastal Road, currently operational between Marine Drive and Worli, forms part of a larger plan to build a seamless high-speed coastal corridor connecting South Mumbai to the city’s extended suburbs. The completed stretch is already linked to the Bandra–Worli Sea Link, while upcoming phases will take it through Versova and Dahisar, eventually reaching Virar. Once fully built, the travel time between Nariman Point and Virar could fall from over two hours to just 35–40 minutes.
According to officials present at a recent high-level review meeting chaired by Goyal, the project’s bottlenecks including land acquisition, saltpan land transfers, and coastal permissions have been resolved after sustained coordination between central and state agencies. The Union Minister, who also represents North Mumbai, said the extended corridor will not only improve regional connectivity but also reduce traffic congestion on the Western Express Highway and other arterial roads.
Urban planners note that the Coastal Road’s expansion must now focus on environmental resilience, especially as it traverses sensitive coastal zones and densely populated regions. “The project should integrate climate adaptation measures like elevated embankments, mangrove buffers, and green mobility infrastructure to ensure long-term sustainability,” said a transport policy expert familiar with Mumbai’s coastal planning.
Goyal also reviewed parallel infrastructure efforts in the city, including the Madh–Versova Bridge, which has been expedited, and the Borivali–Thane tunnel project, expected to commence within two months. He directed civic agencies to take urgent steps to ease congestion on the Western Express Highway, enforce restrictions on heavy private vehicles, and ensure proper identification of construction and waste transport trucks.
In addition, the review addressed civic and environmental concerns across North Mumbai including the rejuvenation of ten lakes through public-private partnerships, repairs to water pipelines in Gorai and Charkop, and the operationalisation of 79 public toilets. The minister also urged authorities to act firmly against illegal dumping, mangrove destruction, and delayed handovers in slum rehabilitation projects.If executed with transparency and ecological care, the extended Coastal Road could become a defining project in Mumbai’s next phase of urban mobility blending engineering ambition with environmental accountability to shape a faster, cleaner, and more connected metropolis.
