Daijiworld Media Network- Mumbai

Mumbai, Aug 15: A 5.25-km stretch of the Mumbai Coastal Road promenade will open to the public from 4.30 pm today, coinciding with the country’s 79th Independence Day celebrations. The inauguration took place on Thursday via video link from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority headquarters, attended by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Union Minister Piyush Goyal, and Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar.

Fadnavis announced that the Coastal Road will now be open 24 hours a day from August 15, replacing the earlier 7 am to midnight schedule. He urged motorists to obey traffic rules and avoid speeding, noting that the entire stretch is under CCTV surveillance.

The promenade, part of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s Coastal Road Project, spans 7.5 km in total, with the newly opened section connecting Priyadarshini Park to Haji Ali and Love Grove to Worli. Walkways range from 8 to 20 metres in width and include a sea-facing parapet.

Pedestrian access is provided through underpasses, with four subways—at Akriti Park, Vatsalabai Desai Chowk, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan Marg, and Bindu Madhav Thackeray Chowk—opening today. Each has staircases and ramps for wheelchair and bicycle access.

Authorities emphasised the need to use only subways to reach the promenade, as vehicles are prohibited from stopping on the Coastal Road. The speed limit remains 60 km/h in tunnels and 80 km/h outside. Two parking facilities with a combined capacity of nearly 400 cars are being built at Bindu Madhav Thackeray Junction and opposite Worli Dairy.

This is the first major public seafront space developed in South Mumbai since Marine Drive, featuring green areas, shaded seating, cycling tracks, and landscaped zones for recreation and fitness.