The much-anticipated coastal road in South Mumbai, touted as a solution to traffic congestion, has inadvertently contributed to severe traffic snarls on the Bandra-Worli Sea Link (BWSL), according to frustrated commuters.
Despite its partial opening, which was intended to alleviate traffic woes, the coastal road has instead exacerbated delays on the connecting sea link, stretching from Worli to Bandra. Commuters have reported substantial traffic build-ups, extending from the Worli entry/exit at Bindu Madhav Thackeray Chowk (BMTC) to the BWSL. Many are experiencing bumper-to-bumper congestion, particularly on the sea link itself.
One long-time user of the BWSL noted that what used to be a six- to eight-minute drive now takes up to 20 minutes during peak hours. A resident who recently began using the coastal road for travel from Bandra to Fort highlighted similar issues. “For the past two weeks, traffic on the BWSL has been horrendous,” they reported. “The bottleneck starts midway along the sea link, with vehicles crawling at a snail’s pace. The INR 150 toll seems hardly worth it given the delays.”
The problem, as explained by commuters, stems from the ongoing coastal road construction which has led to extensive barricades reaching up to the BWSL. This has compounded traffic issues as vehicles exiting the BWSL must navigate a series of U-turns to access the coastal road, further contributing to congestion. The exit from the BWSL, which narrows from four lanes to two, has become a significant choke point. A Worli resident echoed these concerns, noting a dramatic increase in travel time from their home to the sea link. “The drive from BMTC to the BWSL has now doubled to 25-30 minutes,” they said, adding that the situation is markedly better during evenings and weekends when the coastal road is closed.
The traffic department attributes the current congestion to the increased usage of the coastal road, which has shifted the traffic patterns. “Cars that previously took 45 minutes from Marine Drive to Worli are now reaching in just 10-12 minutes, leading to a perception of increased traffic,” explained a traffic official. They also pointed out that the southbound lanes’ bottleneck is more of an infrastructure issue rather than a traffic surge.
The coastal road, which opened in stages beginning with the southbound lanes in March and extending to the northbound stretch by July, was designed to ease South Mumbai’s traffic. However, the transition period has revealed several operational challenges, with commuters hopeful that the forthcoming direct connector between the sea link and coastal road will alleviate the current traffic issues.
