The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will carry out a traffic feasibility study at Malabar Hill’s Nepean Sea Road to investigate the possibility of building a new vehicular arm for entry and exit to the Mumbai Coastal Road in response to the increasing demands of the people living in South Mumbai’s Breach Candy.
The move follows a directive from Cabinet Minister and Malabar Hill MLA Mangal Prabhat Lodha, who instructed civic authorities to assess the project’s feasibility. BMC officials confirmed that the study will take place next month.
Following the introduction of an online petition by locals calling for an alternate Nepean Sea Road exit, Lodha stepped in. At the moment, the Mumbai Coastal Road has three interchanges: Worli, Haji Ali, and Amarson’s. The nearest entry point for inhabitants of Breach Candy is the Amarson’s junction, which links to Bhulabhai Desai Road. Congestion at the current exits results from the lack of a direct connection between the Coastal Road and Nepean Sea Road.
Acknowledging residents’ concerns, Lodha emphasised the need for an additional vehicular arm to ease congestion at Amarson’s. “I have discussed this proposal with the Chief Minister, and he is supportive of it. Necessary steps should be taken to move forward with the project,” Lodha stated on Thursday after meeting with residents at the BMC headquarters.
Although the proposal is possible, senior city officials admitted that it would incur additional costs. They pointed out that before being implemented, each new design had to be submitted to the Supreme Court for approval. In addition, further precautions would be needed to avoid causing any disturbances to the current subway alignment.
In addition to the new exit proposal, Lodha directed the BMC to construct a parking lot in Breach Candy to address local parking shortages. While the civic body had initially planned a parking facility alongside the Coastal Road, construction was halted due to resident protests.
The forthcoming feasibility study will establish the next course of action for resolving the major problems of parking and traffic congestion that South Mumbai residents face.
Source: The Indian Express
