The Coastal Road in Mumbai is but a taste of what is to come in the next five years. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) created the master plan for Mumbai’s ring roads, which shows off the massive road network that stretches the entire length and width of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) from the Gujarati border at Vadodara up north to Alibaug in Maharashtra’s Konkan district in the south, and finally towards Navi Mumbai/ Thane.
By 2029, Mumbai is expected to be free of all of its notorious jams thanks to this enormous, intricate, and sophisticated network of roadways, flyovers, reclaimed coastal roads, bridges, and underwater tunnels. The island city and the nearby mainland will be significantly impacted by this proposed infrastructure once it is finished. It will not only free up traffic and clutter on the MMR, but it will also make public travel considerably more convenient.
The planning body for the metropolitan area, the MMRDA, has approved the construction of an extra 90.18 kilometres of road network, projected to cost Rs 58,517 crore. Inner and outer ring roads will be connected, enabling smooth east-west connectivity as well as unimpeded movement between North and South Mumbai.
Two of Maharashtra’s most lively cities in terms of both economy and culture, Mumbai and Thane, are rapidly urbanising, and the inner ring roads will help them keep up. But it goes beyond just roads; the MMR’s entire infrastructure project cost, including metro, new roads, bridges, flyovers, slum development, etc., is projected to be around Rs 3 lakh crore.
Development authorities like the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), and MMRDA will collaborate to give shape to this massive plan to establish a Ring Road network that will ensure minimal or no disruptions to travel from one end of the city to the other. The Ring Roads and connecting roads are currently in various stages of tendering and development.
The emphasis these Ring Roads place on enhancing East-West connectivity—a long neglected component of Mumbai’s infrastructure—makes them noteworthy. When finished, they will also increase local economic activity. Mumbai currently contributes 4% of India’s GDP, and according to a recent Niti Aayog assessment, the MMR region’s GDP would double from $140 billion to $300 billion by 2030.
Source: The Indian Express
