Northbound vehicles on the Coastal Road can directly enter the Bandra-Worli Sea Link in Mumbai from Friday, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has said.

The Coastal Road, estimated to cost about Rs 14,000 crore, will provide a direct connection with the Bandra-Worli Sea Link, reducing travel time between south Mumbai and suburbs and improving the overall commuting experience.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his deputies Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar will inspect the new connection between the Coastal Road and the sea link on Thursday afternoon before it is opened for vehicular traffic the next day, BMC officials said on Wednesday.

Northbound vehicles heading to Bandra from south Mumbai via the Coastal Road can directly enter the sea link between 7 am and 11 pm, while the southbound vehicles will have to take the existing route till both arms of the Coastal Road are connected with the sea link, a civic official said.

This will be the fourth such opening on the road, which is being made operational in phases.

Its southbound arm opened from Worli to Marine Drive on March 11.

The northbound carriageway was opened from Marine Drive only till Haji Ali on June 10 followed by the stretch from Haji Ali to Worli on July 11.

It now allows motorists to reach from Marine Drive to Worli in less than 15 minutes but in the absence of a direct link with the Bandra Worli Sea Link, traffic piles near the Worli exit during rush hours.

The construction of the ambitious 10.58-km-long project started in October 2018.

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