The Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) is set to get a major transport upgrade with the approval of a 15.5-km tunnel and elevated road corridor estimated to cost around USD 1.8 billion (approximately Rs 15,000 crore). The project aims to improve connectivity and reduce travel time for commuters travelling through some of the region’s busiest traffic corridors.
The proposed infrastructure link comprises a 5.5-km tunnel connecting Gaimukh and Fountain Hotel, along with a 10-km elevated roadway extending from Fountain Hotel to Bhayandar. The tunnel will be constructed using a tunnel boring machine (TBM) equipped with a 14-metre-diameter cutter head, with the execution period expected to span nearly five years.
Both the underground and elevated sections will feature three lanes in each direction, providing additional road capacity and helping to ease congestion across the northern parts of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Authorities expect the corridor to improve traffic flow and reduce delays for daily commuters and freight movement.
The project forms part of a larger package of infrastructure initiatives approved by the Maharashtra government’s Cabinet Infrastructure Committee. Collectively valued at nearly $2.4 billion, these projects are intended to strengthen regional connectivity and shorten travel times across the MMR.
The new corridor is expected to serve as a strategic transport link, supporting growing traffic demand while enhancing access between key urban centres in the region.
Separately, a new road tunnel has also been proposed in northern India between Udhampur and Ramban. Planned alongside the existing Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Tunnel on the Chenani-Nashri stretch of National Highway 44, the two-lane tunnel is expected to increase road capacity and improve traffic movement on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, one of the country’s key transport routes.
