Top 10 Infrastructure Projects to watch out for in Mumbai

 Top 10 Infrastructure Projects to watch out for in Mumbai

At the moment, India’s financial capital Mumbai has so may infrastructure projects going on, so much development

happening and much more planned ahead, one gets the feeling that Mumbai could pretty well be as well-developed as the

likes of Paris, Tokyo, Berlin, New York and even London. Here are the top 10 projects to watch out for in Mumbai, and how

would they help the average Mumbaikar.

10. Nagpur – Mumbai Expressway

A section of the expressway in Nashik District (Credit: Wikipedia)

A new 701-km long, 6-lane expressway is being constructed from Mumbai to the city of Nagpur, famous for its oranges in the

headquarters of Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region. It is being built at a cost of ₹55,000 crores, led by the Maharashtra State

Road Development Corporation (MSRDC). It aims to bring the travel time between the two cities from about 14 hours to half

of that.

The expressway has been named after famed politician Balasaheb Thackeray, as the “Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb

Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg”. Over 500 km of this expressway was opened between Nagpur and Shirdi,

with another 104 km opened as of November 2024. The last stretch from Igatpuri to Amane in Thane district on the Delhi –

Mumbai Expressway could open soon, with an access road on the existing Mumbai – Nashik highway. It takes the most direct

route possible, and being an expressway, it enjoys high speed limits of 120 km/hr, with the design allowing 150. Autocar

India once conducted a test on the initial phase between Nagpur and Shirdi, where the expressway turned out to be twice as

faster.

If you live in Nagpur or in the towns that lie on the alignment, this road will take you to and from Mumbai faster and safer,

using less fuel as well.

9. Delhi – Mumbai Expressway

Alignment of the expressway (Credit: Delhi Capital)

India is having an “expressway boom” as many large expressways are being constructed across the country. The longest of

these will be the upcoming Delhi – Mumbai Expressway, at 1,350 km with 8 lanes, expandable to 12. It serves as an

alternative to the Golden Quadrilateral, of which the long NH48 highway forms a part. It too, would enjoy the same benefits

as the Samruddhi Mahamarg with high-speed limits and many safety features.

Initially, 246 km of this road between Sohna and Lalsot was inaugurated in February 2023. This section was extended up to

its starting point in Delhi NCR. All of the 244 km Madhya Pradesh section and the Vadodara – Bharuch section is inaugurated

as of November 2024. Work on the remaining stretches is progressing swiftly, with the last leg into Maharashtra being a kind

of ring road around Greater Mumbai, connecting it to the Samruddhi Mahamarg, the Mumbai – Pune Expressway, the

existing NH48 and the NH66 to Goa. It ends in JNPT, providing a faster route for trucks in India.

Better still, it is well connected to some other expressways. The Vadodara – Ahmedabad Expressway is one example,

meaning that you can use these two expressways to get to Mumbai from Ahmedabad. It also would allow the small towns of

Vasai and Virar to develop properly, as the expressway passes near these towns combined with other infrastructure in place.

8. Goregaon – Mulund Link Road

Alignment of the road (Credit: The Metro Rail Guy)

Coming into the main city of Mumbai, and its infamous traffic. Mumbai is one of the most congested cities in the world, and

it lacks adequate connectivity between the east and the west. Fortunately, a new link road is planned between the suburbs

of Goregaon and Mulund. This is one of two link roads to decongest the existing Jogeshwari – Vikhroli Link Road and the

Ghodbunder Link Road. This road begins in Goregaon East, near the Viviana Mall on the Western Express Highway. It then

would go near Film City Road, under a 5-km long tunnel and coming out at Bhandup, on the Mulund – Airoli Link Road. It

would save travel time and distance between Mumbai’s suburbs and Thane, as well as provide faster roads to Navi Mumbai

via connection to the Mulund – Airoli road and subsequently further, via other infrastructure projects.

It did find itself in tricky waters when environmentalists opposed it due to the fear of wildlife being disturbed, in the Sanjay

Gandhi National Park but fortunately, the tunnels have been designed to go under the area, potentially not disturbing the

supposed wildlife. Work is underway to widen the existing road in Mulund, as the tunnel is getting ready.

7. Thane – Borivali Link Road

This is the other link road planned to decongest Mumbai’s roads. It provides direct connectivity between the northern

suburb of Borivali and Thane. It also has underground twin tunnels, almost 12 km long, and also passes underneath the park.

Work isn’t really underway as the main focus is on the Goregaon – Mulund link road, but at least this plan is in the right

direction.

6. Airoli – Katai Naka Freeway

Alignment of the Freeway (Credit: The Metro Rail Guy)

At the other end of the Airoli – Mulund Link Road, a new freeway is being constructed to provide direct connectivity between

Airoli and Katai near Dombivli. Earlier, people from Kalyan, Dombivli and Ulhasnagar would take a southerly route to Mumbai

via Shilphata and the road to Mahape, before going back up to Airoli, or a northerly route via Kalwa and Thane, bypassing the

Mumbra Hill that separates Navi Mumbai from these towns. This 12 km road promises direct connectivity to Mumbai, with

elevated sections as well as twin tunnels through the Mumbra Hill, with 2 of the 3 phases connecting Airoli to the existing

NH48.

The third phase is an elevated section from NH48 to Katai, with the existing roads from Kalyan and Ulhasnagar connecting to

it. This road, along the link roads to Mulund and to Goregaon, will facilitate smooth flow of traffic between Mumbai’s

western suburbs and the smaller towns lying on its eastern outskirts, especially as the current roads are clogged up by

vehicles and take a much longer route. This road would involve a flyover near the existing Mulund road and over the Thane –

Belapur road. It could also bring economic development to these towns, which are a part of the Greater Mumbai Area.

5. Airoli – Kalwa Rail Link

Satellite view of the proposed alignment, now slums are in the way. New Digha station is next to the MIDC Grounds. (Credit:

Google Maps)

For our first infrastructure that isn’t a road project, it is once again in Airoli of Navi Mumbai. This involves decongesting the

suburban train station at Thane, where trains from Central and Trans-Harbour Line meet. The Trans-Harbour line is a branch

of the Harbour line that connects Thane to Navi Mumbai.

The reason for this project lies in Airoli’s importance as a business node, with commuter flow mostly from Kalyan and

Dombivli. They would have to change trains at Thane, before heading to Airoli and Navi Mumbai via the Trans-Harbour Line.

However, this project would involve direct connectivity between Airoli and Kalwa, a station on the way between Thane and

Kalyan. This would allow trains to ply between Kalyan and Airoli, and even involves the recently opened new Dighe station,

to decongest Airoli’s existing train station. A flyover would be built over the outstation train tracks for the Parsik Tunnel, and

join the mainline at Kalwa.

This project would benefit from the fact that 2 new rail lines have been added between Thane and Diva, which have opened

up for additional services and enhanced capacity. However, while the new Dighe station is ready, the flyover isn’t because

there is a land dispute between the construction team and the slum residents near Kalwa. Hopefully, it resolves soon as this

project is one of quite a few that aim to improve the situation for Kalyan and Ulhasnagar’s residents.

4. Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link and Sewri – Worli Elevated Corridor

Top to bottom: Atal Setu over the Vashi Creek; alignment of the elevated corridor

One of the more recent infrastructure projects and a hugely important one, the Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link (MTHL) is a 22

km expressway that goes over the Vashi Creek, from Sewri in South Mumbai to Nhava Sheva in Navi Mumbai, near JNPT. This

aims to decongest the existing Vashi Bridge between Mankhurd and Vashi, which itself is being widened from 6-lane to 12

lane and has become toll-free for private vehicles. It has been named the “Atal Setu”, after former Prime Minister of India,

Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

It wasn’t an easy task, as the road goes over the open sea to some extent, and required some mountain cutting. But the fact

that this started construction only in 2018, and despite the COVID lockdown of 2020, opened in January of this year is

amazing and we all must thank the people who were involved in this project. The results are good too, as property prices in

Panvel, a city in Navi Mumbai, had increased a bit due to the direct connectivity. The JNPT road, which connects it to the

Mumbai – Pune Expressway, is also being upgraded to meet the future traffic demands. Public buses too have started

running on this road between Mumbai and Pune, while some private vehicles have started preferring it on their Goa trips.

An elevated road is being constructed that connects the Atal Setu’s starting point on the Eastern Freeway, to the Bandra –

Worli Sea Link at Worli. This is the Sewri – Worli Elevated Corridor, a 9 km elevated road that connects the two roads

together, as well as another significant infrastructure project next to the latter, of which it is actually a part. Work on this

road however, isn’t progressing at a healthy rate as it involves the bridge going over the elevated Monorail near Parel, with

construction virtually not even started at some areas. Also, there are some land acquisition issues so there might be a while

until the true potential of the MTHL is unlocked.

3. Mumbai Coastal Road

Another infrastructure project that has opened up in 2024, is the Mumbai Coastal Road, a 29 km coastal expressway that

goes along the city’s coastline. It was actually planned back in 1962 when Wilbur Smith and Associates, commissioned in

1962 to study transportation in Mumbai, recommended construction of a 3.6 km road between Haji Ali and Nariman

Point on reclaimed land and a 1.04 km tunnel under Malabar Hill up to Girgaon Chowpatty. Smith's report also proposed

connectors to Walkeshwar Road and Chowpatty. But it wasn’t until 2011 when Prithviraj Chavan, the then Chief Minister of

Maharashtra proposed this road as an alternative to the Western Freeway. This road aims to reduce traffic on the arterial

roads of South Mumbai.

This road consists of a grade-separated section from the southern business district of Nariman Point, near the Wankhede

cricket stadium. It would then go into tunnels under the Malabar Hill, opening northwards near the Amarson’s Garden

interchange. At the Worli end of the Bandra – Worli Sea Link, it would then join it using twin arch bridges, with the Sea Link

itself having collected traffic from both Mahalaxmi and the Elevated Corridor mentioned before. The Worli interchange

would allow motorists to enter/exit either of the two roads from any side, being built off the existing alignment.

Ahead of Bandra too, the coastal road would extend to the northern suburb of Kandivali, via a sea link from Bandra to

Versova and then an inland road that runs parallel to the arterial roads of Mumbai. This section would have interchanges

with the Western Express Highway at the Nana Nani Park Connector, as well as an extension of the Juhu – Koliwada

connector to the Milan Subway. Also, there would be an extension of the Vasari Hill Road in Goregaon to it, which further

continues east as the link road to Mulund and then to Katai Naka, allowing a cross-city drive on link roads with little to no

traffic signals. Furthermore, the road would be connected to the Dahisar – Bhayander Link Road near Dahisar. A sea link is

planned between the Versova end and Virar, with interchanges at Charkop, Uttan and Vasai.

However, this project isn’t without any controversy. Many people have said that it is car-centric and would only encourage

private car usage. It also involved the handling of the marine life nearby, though that was dealt with effectively. Some have

even said that it could potentially spoil the view of the sea, but the actual plan actually involves developing the reclaimed

land into green spaces for leisure activities as well as bus bays and parking facilities.

2. DB Patil International Airport, Navi Mumbai and its connecting roads

Render of the airport when completed (Credit: News18)

Mumbai has an airport right in the centre of it, with 2 runways and handling several flights, both international and domestic.

It’s the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (or Sahar International Airport) of Mumbai, near Santacruz East.

However, its design doesn’t allow multiple flights to operate at the same time, as the two runways meet at a point. Also, it is

surrounded by urban structures, potentially halting future expansion. To decongest this, a new airport is being constructed in

Navi Mumbai, roughly east-south east of the existing airport in Mumbai. It has been named after Dinkar Balu Patil, who

helped farmers of Navi Mumbai get the right price of their land which government agency CIDCO purchased for building the

city.

Anyway, this project has been one of the fastest advancing on this list, as building a new airport is not easy. In fact, the local

villagers opposed the work, delaying the start of construction by 2 months to June 2017. It was ecologically sensitive too, as

the area had many mangroves and rain/storm water drains in Panvel, with NGOs fighting the government agencies for this.

When these hurdles were cleared though, there was the massive Ulwe Hill which had to be flattened, with marsh land being

reclaimed and the Ulwe river being diverted for the airport. However, work has progressed very swiftly on the airport ever

since, and in fact the first phase of the airport is supposed to open in March 2025.

Connectivity is brilliant too, with several roads in the vicinity of the airport. Just before the Chirle end of the MTHL, is the

Shivaji Nagar interchange which is a part of the Ulwe Coastal Road from the Atal Setu to the Airport. To the north of the

Airport is the Sion – Panvel highway and the ferry services that are proposed between Belapur and the islands near JNPT.

Roads that connect the airport to Khandeshwar, Panvel and the NH548 and NH48 are also being built. Targhar railway station

is also being built, on the Port line from Belapur to Uran. A connector road from there to Airport is also under construction.

Navi Mumbai’s first metro line too, will be extended to the Airport, via Kalamboli and Panvel in the east. Automated People

Movers would be used in the airport as well. Overall, it is well-connected from almost every direction and the way it is

progressing ahead will delight infra enthusiasts. YouTube channel Droneman, which provides drone coverage-based updates

of infrastructure, highlighted the significance and the rapid pace of this project.

1. Mumbai Metro

BEML-produced rake on one of Mumbai’s metro lines (Credit: Wikipedia)

While most of the infrastructure mentioned above are road projects, Mumbai’s biggest one though is unsurprisingly, the

Mumbai Metro. This is a rapid transit system that is supposed to revolutionise public transport in Mumbai, helping the case

of Mumbai’s famous suburban rail network and the public bus transport. But before that, we need to understand the history

as it is significant.

Although Mumbai is the financial capital of India, it was quite late to join the ever-increasing list of huge metropolises with

elaborate rapid transit systems. Most big cities like Tokyo, Paris, Berlin, New York and London have always had underground

metro systems, with Kolkata being India’s first metro system and Delhi always had India’s largest, and was getting larger in

2004. That was when Mumbai even thought of having one, as the suburban railway network wasn’t built to rapid transit

specifications while the road infrastructure wasn’t as extensive as it is today. In 2010, the government agency, Mumbai

Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) had unveiled a plan to make a 146 km network of metro lines, with

two monorail routes proposed. One of the monorail routes was completed in 2019, from Chembur to Mahalaxmi. Only one

of the metros however, was completed in 2014. Line 1 was a 14 km elevated line from Versova to Ghatkopar, connecting it

to Andheri. Later on, the rest of the lines were changed to the current alignment, with some having extensions planned.

In 2022, the lines 2A and 7 opened to the public, operating as a single unit. A second phase of both these lines was opened,

which completed them and connected to the Line 1 that opened in 2014. Just this month, a section of the underground Line

3 was opened from Aarey to Bandra Kurla Complex, a business district in Central Mumbai, and connects to the CSMIA. As of

2024, Mumbai has 4 metro lines and one monorail. However, the new plan actually has 14 metro lines, with 7 of those under

construction with 5 more approved. The total network, when completed, would be as long as Delhi’s existing Metro network,

almost 350 km. Even Navi Mumbai has built a single metro line, which will be extended to the DB Patil Airport. At Belapur,

the Navi Mumbai Metro connects it to the suburban rail network, which itself will be connected to Mumbai’s future metro

lines.

In fact, public transport enthusiast and YouTuber Reece uploaded a video on his channel, RMTransit about India as the

country building the most metro systems, and appreciated how Mumbai would get a large metro network like Delhi has

today and even talked about how smaller cities could build their own rapid transit systems, while also talking about how it

could bring about some change in the existing suburban train system.

All of this means that in the upcoming decade, Mumbai is set to undergo a massive overhaul, especially as India progresses

ahead with development. As India’s financial capital, Mumbai could as well lead the way for Indian infrastructure to be

developed, to support the growing population and their demands.

Author: Ishan Kelkar, Class X-B

Jankidevi Public School