The Orange Gate–Marine Drive tunnel, a Rs 8,056-crore project being implemented by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), is set to transform east–west travel in South Mumbai. Planned to connect Orange Gate near the Eastern Freeway to Marine Drive on the city’s western seafront, the tunnel is expected to become operational by 2028 and reduce travel time to just five minutes.
The project, which will soon move into an advanced construction phase, has been realigned to terminate near Jawahar Bal Bhavan in Girgaon, according to reports. Designed as a critical link between Mumbai’s eastern and western corridors, the tunnel aims to significantly ease traffic congestion and improve overall mobility. Officials have described it as one of the city’s most complex underground road projects, as it will pass beneath metro lines, railway tracks, heritage structures, and densely populated neighbourhoods.
At present, motorists travelling from the Eastern Freeway to Marine Drive must navigate heavily congested surface roads such as P D’Mello Road, the Carnac (Sindoor) Bridge, and the busy GPO junction. During peak hours, this journey can take 25 to 30 minutes or longer. Once the tunnel is operational, the same commute is expected to take about five minutes, easing pressure on surface roads, saving fuel, and reducing emissions.
Nearly seven kilometres of the almost 10-kilometre alignment will run underground, at depths ranging from 12 to 52 metres below ground level. The project features twin parallel tunnels—one for each direction—each with two traffic lanes and an emergency lane. Safety infrastructure will include cross-passages every 300 metres, along with advanced ventilation, lighting, fire protection, and traffic management systems.
Updated by the MMRDA in December 2025, the tunnel’s route will pass beneath around 700 structures, including century-old buildings, while crossing below Western Railway, Central Railway, and Metro corridors without disrupting existing infrastructure. The alignment runs under areas such as P D’Mello Road, Bhendi Bazaar, Khetwadi, Lamington Road, and Chinch Bunder before emerging near Charni Road on Marine Drive.
Construction has been awarded to Larsen & Toubro. A tunnel boring machine was launched at Orange Gate in late 2025, with a second TBM expected in 2026. Around 15% of the work had been completed by the end of 2025, and the project is scheduled for completion in December 2028.
Source: CNBC TV18
