Work on phase I of coastal road in Mumbai to start by December

MUMBAI: Work on the first phase of the much-delayed Rs 14,000-crore coastal road project in Mumbai is expected to start by the end of this year, Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta said today.

The municipal corporation of Greater Mumbai will implement the 34-km project in eight phases.

"We have invited Expressions of Interest (EoI) from interested parties and waiting for the pre-bids to come out. We are hopeful that by November or December we will be able to start the civil work on the first phase," Mehta said at a seminar here.

He said the first phase includes a road from Priyadarshani Park to Bandra. It would provide an alternative to the existing traffic-clogged Western Express Highway.

Mehta said the draft Development Plan 2034 for the city is ready and by the end of this month it will be made public for suggestions.

The draft DP 2034 was first announced in February last year, only to be withdrawn two months later after being criticised for errors such as wrong reservations applied to certain zones and plots.