Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has decided to put on hold the proposal to expand Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Road from 6 lanes to 12 lanes on Marine Drive for now.
The next decision regarding the road widening project will be taken only after the twin tunnel project connecting Marine Drive to Orange Gate is completed and opened for traffic.
According to officials, after the Orange Gate-Marine Drive twin tunnel project is completed, a study of the traffic in the area will be conducted. Only then will a final decision be taken on how many lanes to add and how far the road should be widened.
This twin tunnel project connecting Eastern Freeway and Mumbai Coastal Road is scheduled to be completed by June 2028.
An MMRDA official said, “It would be a hurry to implement this project at present. After the completion of Coastal Road, we have started the Orange Gate-Marine Drive twin tunnel project. Let the tunnels be completed first, then a decision will be taken on the road widening.”
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had approved this road expansion scheme in April 2025. This proposal was made to avoid traffic congestion on Marine Drive keeping in mind the Coastal Road and future traffic.
According to this plan, the approximately three-kilometer-long Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Road from the National Centre for the Performing Arts to the Coastal Road entrance was to be expanded from six lanes to 12 lanes. For this, it was necessary to develop a part of the Arabian Sea by filling it and making changes to the existing Marine Drive Promenade.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had earlier said that, “This project has been prepared keeping in mind the needs of the city for the next 25 years. Due to the Coastal Road Tunnel, traffic congestion is being seen in this area during peak hours. However, care will be taken that the appearance of the Queen’s Necklace is not changed.”
Meanwhile, residents of the Marine Drive area have expressed satisfaction over the postponement of this proposal. Marine Drive Residents’ Association vice-president Ashok Gupta called the proposal impractical. “The announcement was made without fully studying the technical aspects of such a project,” he said.
Nariman Point Churchgate Citizens Association president Atul Kumar also said that a thorough study of the existing traffic system was needed first.
“Just adding more lanes because there is traffic congestion is not the solution. A new link connecting Nariman Point and Cuffe Parade can be more important,” he noted.