Opening of promenade along seaside of coastal road deferred by a week
Spanning from Priyadarshini Park to Worli, the 7.5 km promenade along the seaward side of the coastal road forms a part of 111 hectares of reclaimed land of which 70 hectares has been carved out and reserved as an open space. Of the total open space, nearly 53 hectares of parcel on the landward side has been earmarked for gardens, amphitheatres and green belts while 7.5 km has been developed as a Marine drive-like promenade.
While the new promenade in Mumbai was initially slated to open on July 15, The Indian Express has learnt that the opening was deferred by a week owing to factors such as small finishing works among other reasons. According to officials, the stretch is likely to be inaugurated between July 21 and 31, over a year since the vehicular carriageways were open for traffic.
However, the civic body will be opening the promenade in phases. In the first phase, the BMC is eyeing to inaugurate 5.5 km of the total promenade, which will span from Priyadarshini Park to Haji Ali Juice Centre and then another stretch between Poonam Chambers in Worli to the bowstring arch bridge near Worli. Speaking to The Indian Express, BMC officials said, 'While we will be opening nearly 5.5 km stretch of the promenade now, the small stretch will not be accessible for now as we will be commencing work on the car park near Haji Ali. In order to prevent inconvenience to visitors while the work is underway, a part of the promenade near this work site will only be opened later.'
With the promenade situated on the seaward side and along the busy arterial coastal road, the BMC is also set to open six pedestrian underpasses to enable pedestrians to cross from the landward side to the promenade. These pedestrian underpasses are situated near Amarsons Garden, Mahalaxmi temple, Haji Ali Juice Centre while three other subways will be situated across Worli including near Worli Dairy and the Bindumadhav Thackeray Chowk.
In a bid to enhance greenery along the stretch, the civic body has planted nearly 100 trees of two varieties–Washingtonia Robusta and Barringtonia–along the total length of the promenade.
The promenade will also feature jogging tracks, seating areas as well as a dedicated lane for cycling. To cater to the large footfall slated to flock to the site, the BMC is also installing four bio-toilets along the promenade, which will be located near Amarsons Garden at Breach Candy, Mahalakshmi while two are set to be erected in Worli.
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