Mumbai will start the first undersea tunnel of India in 2023 which is being constructed as part of Coastal Road project of Mumbai.

Key Facts

=> Two tunnels will be built under the Mumbai Coastal Road Project.

=> The tunnel will have the length of 2.07 km out of which 1 kilometre portion will be under the sea.

=> It is the first undersea road tunnel in India.

=> It will pass through Arabian Sea near Girgaon Chowpatty.

=> The tunnel will start from the Priyadarshani Park and will terminate at the Netaji Subhash Road in Marine Drive.

=> It will be built at a depth of 20m below the seabed.

=> The total cost of project is Rs 2,798.44 crore.

=> Each of the tunnel will be completed in 8 to 9 months.

=> It is being built by the India’s biggest Tunnel Boring Machine.

Mumbai Coastal Road Project

=> It is a 10.58-km long road project that starts from the Marine Drive and terminates at the Worli-end of Bandra-Worli Sea Link.

=> It comprises of land-filled roads, bridges and tunnels.

=> This project was started under the plan of linking South Mumbai with North Mumbai with a toll-free road.

=> It will also ease the traffic run in the city.

Challenges

The construction of the tunnel is challenging because it will be built under sea. The major challenges include:

1. Flow of sea water into the tunnel.

2.Tunnel will exert pressure of the sea so there will be fear of tunnel caving.

However, the tunnel is being constructed near the coast so it has eased the construction process. Further, all the safety measures are being taken to ensure stability of tunnel.