Undersea tunnel likely for Juhu coastal road stretch

Mumbai: The government is likely to opt for an undersea tunnel for the Juhu Chowpatty stretch of the coastal road, ensuring that it will not affect any runway expansion plans of the airport there.
The other options are an underground tunnel, a sea link and a sea wall on the beach, after extending it artificially.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is executing the 29.2km project connecting Marine Lines to Kandivli.The Airports Authority of India (AAI) wants to expand the Juhu airport runway 1.5km into the sea on stilts.
Additional chief secretary (general administration department, civil aviation) P S Meena told the AAI and BMC last Thursday to share their plans to avoid overlapping of the proposed runaway and tunnel. AAI fears that the sea link may come in the take-off area of the runway.
Officials stated that the sea link plan for the Juhu stretch, as suggested by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), would obstruct the proposed runway expansion. An official stated that the sea link may cost around Rs 4,800 crore, while the undersea tunnel will cost Rs 2,800 crore. Civic officials are rooting for an undersea tunnel but the state government will take a final decision.
A BMC-appointed consultant initiated the soil test process at Girgaum Chowpatty for construction of a tunnel, which will pass under Girgaum Chowpatty and Hanging Gardens. An officials stated that they initiated the ‘geo-technical investigation’ to check the soil condition, and they will share the info with firms interested in bidding for the coastal road project.
TOI had reported last Friday that the BMC had released its final design for the Marine Lines-Bandra stretch of its ambitious project. Initially planned from Nariman Point, it will now start from Marine Lines.