MMRDA may alter Orange Gate-Marine Drive tunnel alignment

The Marine Drive Citizens Association has demanded a realignment to preserve their heritage precinct and to prevent inconveniences such as vehicular congestion and air pollution during the construction phase.

Mumbai: Within a week of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis launching the tunnel boring machine (TBM) for the Orange Gate-Marine Drive twin-tunnel project, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is preparing to alter the alignment of the tunnels after residents of Marine Drive objected to the ₹8,056-crore project.

Mumbai, India. Dec 03, 2025 - The first Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) for the Orange Gate to Marine Drive tunnel road project was launched in the presence of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde at the front area, Princes Dock in Mumbai, India. Dec 03, 2025. (Photo by Raju Shinde/HT Photo) (Raju Shinde)

According to the existing plan, the twin tunnels will be constructed between Orange Gate, in the Mumbai Port Authority’s jurisdiction, and D Road at Churchgate, next to Wankhede Stadium. However, the Marine Drive Citizens Association has demanded a realignment to preserve their heritage precinct and to prevent inconveniences such as vehicular congestion and air pollution during the construction phase.

Multiple alternative routes were discussed during a December 5 meeting involving Maharashtra assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar, former councillor Harshita Narwekar, representatives of the residents’ association and MMRDA officials. Harshita Narwekar told HT that the option picked, suggested by MMRDA officials, was to move the entry-exit points of the tunnels outside Jawahar Bal Bhavan, near the Charni Road station.

“MMRDA has recommended shifting the tunnel exit to Jawahar Bal Bhavan on Marine Drive—still proximate, but a safer distance from the heritage art deco buildings, which had not previously been surveyed for structural impact. In addition, the tunnel entry point is being realigned from Opera House to Bal Bhavan, replacing an earlier proposal that was both impractical and inadequately studied,” said Narwekar.

The other alternatives discussed included reclaiming land beyond the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) at Nariman Point, outside NCPA, and near Oval Maidan.

A couple of Marine Drive residents HT spoke to said the Narwekars’ intervention has spared them the need to move court against the existing alignment, which would have diverted significant traffic from the eastern corridor directly into Marine Drive, with serious long-term consequences. However, they acknowledged that the revised plan would also result in increased vehicular congestion on Marine Drive, but save them from the prospect of five years of disruption.

If the alignment is moved, traffic will emerge at Charni Road and take a U-turn to enter the Mumbai Coastal Road. “This is the best-suited alternative,” said an MMRDA official, requesting anonymity. “Traffic simulation studies have been conducted, and all five options have been shared with the Mumbai Traffic Police for their views.”

MMRDA officials also said that the preferred altered alignment could reduce project costs by about ₹700 crore. However, the promenade at this stretch will have to be widened, and the agency is examining how this can be executed.

Formal approval for the altered alignment is pending and may take a few months. “The TBM was launched on December 3, and it carves upto 3-5 metres of earth daily. Hence, it will take around two years for the machines to reach Opera House. Once the machines reach there, we will have to course correct if it has to be taken to Jawahar Bal Bhavan or elsewhere,” said an MMRDA official.

The 9.96-km twin tunnel project, expected to be ready by December 2028, promises seamless connectivity between the city’s eastern and western coasts. When ready, motorists would be able to travel signal-free from Ulwe in Navi Mumbai to Mumbai’s western suburbs, via the Atal Setu, the twin tunnels and the Coastal Road.