Mumbai | A 3.5-km stretch of the Coastal Road's north-bound carriageway here was opened for vehicular traffic at 7 am on Thursday, which will help in reducing the travel time to suburbs from south Mumbai, civic officials said.

The stretch extends from Haji Ali to Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan Road in Worli. It is part of the nearly 12-km-long Mumbai Coastal Road Project.

It will help motorists avoid traffic snarls which they had been facing between Haji Ali and the Bandra-Worli Sea Link, an official from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said.

The carriageway will be accessible to vehicles from Monday to Friday between 7 am and 11 pm, the BMC said in a release on Wednesday evening.

The corridor is being opened temporarily for vehicles going to the Bandra-Worli Sea Link from the Coastal Road and will remain closed on Saturdays and Sundays for completion of the remaining work of the project, it said.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday inspected the stretch in the presence of municipal commissioner Bhushan Gagrani and other senior officials.

Shinde said the coastal road project is 91 per cent complete and the administration has been directed to conclude the remaining work as early as possible.

In the first phase, the BMC opened a 9.5-km-long south-bound corridor of the Coastal Road from Bindu Madhav Chowk in Worli to Marine Drive on March 11.

This was followed by the opening of a 6.25 km north-bound carriageway between Marine Drive and Lotus Junction at Haji Ali in the next phase on June 10.

The Mumbai Coastal Road Project, which is being implemented by the BMC, will provide a direct connection with the Bandra-Worli Sea Link, reducing travel time between south Mumbai and suburbs and improving the overall commuting experience.

The construction of the ambitious Rs 13,983 crore project started on October 13, 2018