August 23, 2025: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has commenced pier construction and other preliminary work in non-Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) areas for the ambitious 27-kilometre Versova-Bhayandar Coastal Road project. Full-scale construction is expected to begin by the end of September, pending final approvals from the state mangrove cell, officials said.
The coastal road, designed for speeds of up to 100 km/h, is expected to reduce travel time between Versova and Bhayandar to just 15 minutes. It will also improve east-west connectivity by linking with the proposed Goregaon-Mulund Link Road, connecting the Western and Eastern Express Highways.
A significant portion of the project passes through sensitive mangrove land and CRZ areas, requiring multiple environmental clearances. Work has so far begun on non-CRZ sections, including pier and test pile foundations from Oberoi Mall in Goregaon to Dindoshi Court in Malad East, and trenching near the Old Fisheries Institute in Versova, a BMC official confirmed.
The northbound stretch will feature a double-decker elevated road, a road on stilts, a cable-stayed bridge, and a cut-and-cover tunnel beneath the Manori Creek, much of which lies in CRZ areas. While a 1.2-kilometre section in Goregaon lies outside CRZ land, the majority runs through mangroves and creeks.
Earlier this month, the BMC secured stage 1 approval from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for mangrove forest land diversion. Approximately 75% of the required land has been acquired, and stage 2 approval from the mangrove cell is awaited.
Residents and environmental activists have voiced concerns over potential ecological damage, loss of biodiversity, the impact on traditional fishing communities, and the undermining of sustainable public transport solutions. The BMC has approached the Bombay High Court for further permissions to proceed with construction on the remaining mangrove areas.
Source: Hindustan Times
