Mumbai’s proposed ring-road network is expanding, with the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) planning two additional routes covering around 307 km. The move will take the network from seven to nine ring roads and extend orbital connectivity to Thane, Navi Mumbai, Bhiwandi and the northern suburbs.
The eighth ring road will cover about 197 km, while the ninth ring road will span nearly 110 km. Both are planned as access-controlled corridors with a design speed of 80 kmph, with MMRDA targeting 2029 for full operation.
Importantly, the plan does not involve building 307 km of entirely new roads. Instead, existing highways, freeways, sea links, tunnels and elevated corridors will be connected with infrastructure that is under construction or planned.
The 110-km ninth ring will start at Nariman Point and run north along Mumbai’s coastal road network. It will use the Bandra-Worli Sea Link, Versova-Bandra Sea Link and northern coastal road to reach Borivali.
From Borivali, the route will pass through the proposed Thane-Borivali Twin Tunnel and enter Thane. It will then continue through Thane Coastal Road 1, the Anand Nagar-Saket elevated road, Eastern Freeway Extension and Eastern Freeway.
The proposed Orange Gate tunnel and Marine Drive connection will link the route back towards Nariman Point, completing the loop.
The ninth ring is expected to create an alternative orbital route connecting South Mumbai, the western suburbs, Borivali, Thane and eastern Mumbai, helping long-distance traffic avoid congested internal roads.
The 197-km eighth ring will create a loop between Sewri, Thane and Navi Mumbai.
Starting at Sewri near the Mumbai end of the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL), the route will use the Eastern Freeway and its extension towards Thane.
From Thane, it will connect to the Anand Nagar-Saket elevated road and continue towards Navi Mumbai through the Mumbai-Vadodara Expressway and NH-4B, reaching Chirle. The MTHL will then take the route back to Sewri.
The corridor is expected to strengthen connectivity between Thane, Navi Mumbai and Bhiwandi, while improving access to JNPT, freight hubs and emerging development areas such as Amane.
The latest two routes build on MMRDA’s earlier plan for seven progressively larger rings. The smallest, a 27-km Nariman Point loop, was designed to combine the Mumbai Coastal Road, Sewri-Worli Connector, Eastern Freeway and Orange Gate-Marine Drive connection.
While the Coastal Road and Eastern Freeway are operational, other links needed to complete the loop are still under construction or development.
The broader ring-road concept, first articulated by MMRDA Commissioner Dr Sanjay Mukherjee in 2024, aims to change Mumbai’s road network from a predominantly north-south system to one offering more east-west and orbital movement.
The expanded network will bring together projects developed by MMRDA, BMC, MSRDC and NHAI. These include the Sewri-Worli Connector, Orange Gate tunnel, Goregaon-Mulund Link Road, Thane-Borivali Twin Tunnel, JVLR, SCLR, Eastern Freeway, coastal roads, sea links and MTHL.
The effectiveness of the ring roads will depend on completing the missing links and creating proper ramps, connectors, interchanges and junction improvements where different projects meet.
MMRDA is also examining whether some existing corridors may need additional capacity or widening based on traffic studies, technical feasibility and available right of way.
The objective is to create a network of alternative routes across Mumbai and the wider MMR, allowing motorists and long-distance traffic to bypass congested corridors and distribute traffic more evenly across the region.