The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is expanding its ring-road vision with two additional routes covering a combined 307 km, taking the proposed network from seven to nine loops across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).
The new corridors will not involve constructing 307 km of fresh roads. Instead, they will link existing highways and major infrastructure with projects under construction or in the planning stage, creating wider, interconnected loops across Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai and the northern suburbs.
The proposed eighth ring will span about 197 km, connecting Navi Mumbai and Thane. It will begin at Sewri, the Mumbai end of the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL), and use the Eastern Freeway and its planned extension towards Thane. From there, it will connect to Navi Mumbai through the Anand Nagar-Saket elevated road, Mumbai-Vadodara Expressway and NH-4B before returning to Sewri via the MTHL.
The 110-km ninth ring will create a broader loop around Mumbai and Thane. Starting from Nariman Point, it will travel north through the coastal road network, Bandra-Worli Sea Link, Versova-Bandra Sea Link and northern coastal roads before reaching Borivali.
From Borivali, the route will pass through the Thane-Borivali Twin Tunnel and continue towards Thane. It will then connect southwards through Thane Coastal Road 1, Anand Nagar-Saket elevated road and the Eastern Freeway extension before returning to South Mumbai through the proposed Orange Gate tunnel.
“The approach represents a paradigm shift from looking at individual infrastructure projects in isolation to treating Mumbai and the MMR as one integrated road network,” said Sanjay Mukherjee, metropolitan commissioner, MMRDA.
Both corridors are planned as access-controlled routes with a design speed of 80 kmph. Limited entry and exit points and tolling are also being considered.
MMRDA aims to make both rings operational by 2029. Their completion, however, depends on multiple ongoing and proposed projects, along with detailed engineering, traffic studies, connectors, ramps and interchange improvements.
Source: The Indian Express
