Coastal Road Gets Closer To Expansion: BMC Considers New Entry At Napeansea

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is considering a proposal to create an additional entry and exit point to the coastal road at Napeansea Road, as reported by Hindustan Times (HT). This comes after requests from the Breach Candy Residents Forum (BCRF), said officials in the report. The demand gained significant support ahead of the recent assembly elections, particularly from Mangal Prabhat Lodha, Mumbai's guardian minister and MLA for Malabar Hill.

In an interview with HT, Lodha, who was re-elected in the assembly elections held on November 20, confirmed his backing for the project. "I had written to the BMC two months ago, urging them to approve an additional interchange. Since then, they have appointed a committee to study the proposal," Lodha said. However, he did not provide further specifics on the matter.

An official from the coastal road department confirmed in the same report that a formal proposal has been sent to municipal commissioner Bhushan Gagrani. The proposal requests that Aecom Asia Co Ltd, the consulting firm handling the coastal road project, conduct a feasibility study for the new interchange. "The proposal was submitted two weeks ago, but there has been no response from Gagrani yet," the official noted.

Previously, coastal road officials had ruled out the possibility of adding an interchange at Napeansea Road, citing the unavailability of public land near Priyadarshini Park. However, an official familiar with the project explained in the report that the interchange was originally part of the 1991 Development Plan, which envisioned the coastal road as a sea link. Since then, the road layout and development plan have undergone changes, requiring new studies and permissions.

"The initial plans have changed. We cannot simply add an interchange without proper assessments and permissions," the official explained to HT. The feasibility study for the proposed interchange is expected to take three to four months.