Residents of Mumbai may soon experience a significant decrease in travel time between the city center and the northern suburbs. On Wednesday, Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik communicated that the construction of the Dahisar-Bhayander highway will allow passengers to travel between Nariman Point and Mira-Bhayander in just 30 minutes, via the coastal route, after the opening of this highway.
The announcement comes after a very important asset transfer by the Union Salt Commissioner to the Maharashtra government, eliminating a major impediment to the long-stalled project. The state has now received a total of 53.17 acres of salt land, and this will allow the Mira-Bhayander Municipal Corporation to construct the 60-meter-wide roadway.
Sarnaik said the land transfer was the result of consistent follow-up over the past four to five years. “With this, the way has been cleared for the construction of the road from Dahisar to Bhayander and further towards Vasai-Virar,” he said.
The project, which has an estimated value of ₹3,000 crore, will be undertaken by L.E.T. Company and is likely to be finished within three years. The work will be funded by the Mumbai Municipal Corporation.
According to the plan, the coastal road will go up to Uttan, before connecting to Mira Road using the new Dahisar-Bhayander route, and further to Vasai and Virar. An earlier request to build the road along the coast faced opposition from fishermen at Uttan, and the government revised the alignment at the request of the fishermen.
Sarnaik was confident that this latest connectivity would turn Mira-Bhayander into a major suburb with direct, faster access to South Mumbai.
The Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry has signed off on the transfer of 215,189 square meters (53.17 acres) of salt land, located in Thane district, to the Maharashtra government on a 99-year lease at a cost of ₹12.89 crore.
Commuters can look forward to a situation where their usual trip from South Mumbai to Mira-Bhayander will feel much shorter than before.
