BMC takes up 2nd leg of tunneling on coastal road project

The ambitious Coastal Road project achieved a milestone on completion of a two-km long tunnel recently and has started digging on the second tunnel, which is likely to be completed by December 2022. As per the project plan, two tunnels are to be constructed from Priyadarshani Park to Chhota Chowpatty near the Marine lines. The total length of the tunnels is 2.70 km of which 2 km of work of the first tunnel has been completed. The tunnels are being constructed for two-way movement of vehicles. The Coastal Road, which will ease traffic in the city, is a project made on reclaimed roads, interconnecting bridges and tunnels, spanning a total length of 10.58 km. It is being constructed from Princess Street flyover to Bandra Worli Sea Link with 4x4 lanes. The total diameter of the tunnel is 12.19 meters and a well-equipped emergency control room has also been set up to tackle any untoward incident in the tunnel. In addition to this, 11 cross passages are also constructed for emergencies. Excavation work is being carried out with the help of a Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) said to be one of the biggest tunneling machines in India with a 12.19 diameter and a weight of 2,800 tons, according to Chief Engineer of Coastal Road Project, Vijay Nighot.