The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has decided to postpone its proposed expansion of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Road along Marine Drive, opting to reassess traffic requirements after the completion of the Orange Gate–Marine Drive twin tunnel project.
The original proposal envisaged widening the iconic six-lane Marine Drive boulevard to 12 lanes to accommodate anticipated traffic growth. However, officials have now chosen to put the plan on hold until the impact of the upcoming twin tunnels on traffic movement can be evaluated.
According to officials familiar with the development, the state government intends to study traffic patterns after the tunnel corridor becomes operational before determining whether additional lanes are required and the extent of any future road expansion.
The Orange Gate–Marine Drive twin tunnel project, which will provide a direct connection between the Eastern Freeway and the Mumbai Coastal Road, is currently under construction and is expected to be completed by June 2028.
“It’s a little premature to implement the project. After the coastal road was completed, we commenced construction of the Orange Gate-Marine Drive twin tunnel project. It would be too early to initiate road widening works. Let the twin tunnels get ready, and then we will take a call,” an MMRDA official said on condition of anonymity.
The road-widening proposal had received approval from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in April 2025 as part of broader efforts to strengthen connectivity across South Mumbai and integrate key transport corridors.
Under the plan, a nearly three-kilometre stretch between the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) and the Coastal Road entry point was proposed for widening. The project would have involved land reclamation along portions of the seafront and modifications to the existing promenade.
Resident groups have welcomed the decision to defer the project. Ashok Gupta of the Marine Drive Residents’ Association criticised the proposal, stating, “We fail to understand why the respective government departments do not discuss such plans with resident associations before announcements and waste precious time and resources of all concerned,” he said.
Source: Swarajya
