Mumbai to get third road tunnel, giant observation wheel

Mumbai: Mumbai will get its third and longest road tunnel and the country's first giant observation wheel - similar to the London Eye - besides other important infrastructure projects, officials said here on Friday.

At a meeting of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), which was attended by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, these and many other proposals were approved, said MMRDA Metropolitan Commissioner S.V.R. Srinivas.

Approval was granted to construct a 3.8 km long four-lane road tunnel linking Ballard Estate's Orange Gate, Eastern Freeway and Marine Drive on the upcoming Mumbai Coastal Road, at an estimated cost of around Rs 6,500 crore.

Currently, there is a 1 km long road tunnel on the Eastern Freeway, Mumbai's first, besides another 2.07 km long twin-tunnel ready on the Mumbai Coastal Road Project which is likely to be operational this year-end.

The MMRDA will be the implementating agency and undertake a technical feasibility study for the 'Mumbai Eye' project at Bandra Reclamation.

The project to build India's first giant observation wheel - on the lines of the popular London Eye on the banks of River Thames - as a tourist attraction was first mooted by the erstwhile Maha Vikas Aghadi government at the Worli side of the sea link.

The cost estimates for the civil works of constructing a twin tunnel between Borivali and Thane passing through the Sanjay Gandhi National Park has also been approved. The project will be implemented in three packages in which civil works shall be completed in two and the Intelligent Transportation System will be in the third package, said Srinivas.

The meeting also cleared the revised estimate of the major 42 km sea bridge linking Versova (Mumabai) with Virar (Palghar), which would be a northern extension of the existing Worli sea link.

The MMRDA will appoint a consultant to prepare a detailed project report for immediate construction of the Metro Line 5 extention from Kalyan to Ulhasnagar in Thane district, the home base of the Chief Minister and his MP son Shrikant Shinde.

The Metro Line 5 will be extended to Khadakpada in Phase 1 and to Ulhasnagar in Phase II, and will benefit the commuters in the Thane towns of Ulhasnagar, Ambernath, Badlapur, and surroundings.

The MMRDA has been authorised to levy toll from December 2027 from vehicles entering Mumbai to recover the ongoing infrastructure development and metro rail costs in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

A proposal to extend the Chheda Nagar flyover in Ghatkopar to Anand Nagar in Thane, a 13 km long six-lane elevated bridge, was also cleared.

The major focus of the MMRDA meeting was on taking up and implementing projects that could reduce traffic congestion in the country's commercial capital and surroundings, besides offering seamless connectivity to the entire MMR, said Srinivas.