Excavation for Mumbai’s Orange Gate–Marine Drive underground road tunnel has crossed the one-kilometre mark, marking significant progress on the Rs 8,056-crore infrastructure project being developed by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA).
The approximately seven-kilometre twin-tunnel corridor is designed to connect the Eastern Freeway with the Coastal Road, improving connectivity across South Mumbai. Once operational, the route is expected to reduce peak-hour travel time between Orange Gate and Marine Drive from around 30 minutes to five minutes, helping ease congestion.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the project’s foundation stone in January 2024, while tunnelling operations commenced in December 2025. The project is scheduled for completion by December 2028.
Advanced engineering and safety features
The development comprises two underground tunnels extending approximately seven kilometres. Each tunnel will have two traffic lanes, each 3.2 metres wide, along with an additional emergency lane. Cross passages are being constructed at intervals of 300 metres to connect the tunnels and facilitate emergency access.
The infrastructure will also incorporate ventilation systems, Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) and artificial intelligence-enabled traffic management technology to improve operational efficiency and road safety.
Connecting multiple transport corridors
The tunnel alignment will pass beneath several existing and planned transport routes, including the Harbour Line near the Old Elphinstone Bridge, Western Railway near Charni Road station, and proposed Metro Line 11 and Metro Line 3 near Lamington Road Junction. The corridor will terminate near Bal Bhavan on Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Road at Marine Drive.
The tunnel will descend to nearly 52 metres below ground level, with its deepest section located around Lamington Road at an estimated depth of 47–50 metres.
According to MMRDA estimates, approximately 14,650 vehicles could use the Orange Gate tunnel daily by 2029.
The project forms part of MMRDA’s wider strategy to integrate Mumbai’s road, metro, coastal and underground transport networks. By improving links between major corridors, the tunnel is expected to strengthen urban mobility and reduce travel bottlenecks as the metropolitan region continues to expand.
Source: NDTV
