Mumbai: The consultancy fees for the Mumbai Coastal Road Project (MCRP) have been revised for the fifth time. The fee for the Priyadarshini Park–Baroda Palace stretch has increased from Rs 50 crore to Rs 76 crore, while the Baroda Palace–Bandra-Worli Sea Link section has risen from Rs 57 crore to Rs 95 crore. The proposal is with Municipal Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani for final approval.
The MCRP, stretching from Princess Street to the Worli end of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link (BWSL), is being executed in three phases. While the main coastal road construction has been completed, work on auxiliary infrastructure and public amenities along the route is currently underway.
Each phase has been assigned a separate consultant, and to ensure coordination and consistency across all phases, a general consultant has also been appointed. Of the three consultants, two have now submitted their proposals for a fifth revision in consultancy fees.
The consultant appointed for Phase 1 from Priyadarshini Park to Baroda Palace was contracted for 72 months starting October 2018. Initially, the consultancy fee was Rs 50.52 crore. It was first raised by Rs 8 crore, and later by an additional Rs 6.65 crore due to delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns. In the latest proposal, citing extended construction timelines, the consultant has sought an additional Rs 3.75 crore, bringing the total consultancy fee to Rs 76 crore.
For Phase 2 — from Baroda Palace to the BWSL — the original consultancy contract was worth Rs 57 crore. This consultant has also seen multiple fee hikes. They have cited extended project duration due to several challenges, including a shift in the bridge construction technology for the coastal road, which increased costs to total Rs 95.69 crore.
The consultant has attributed delays to logistical challenges, such as the need to transport materials by sea, time constraints caused by night-time work restrictions, and the need for traffic diversion permissions.
The MCRP features multi-level interchanges at key locations, including Haji Ali, Peddar Road (Amarsons Garden), and Worli Sea Face. While the Peddar Road interchange has four entry-exit arms, the Haji Ali interchange have eight, and the Worli interchange have six. The Coastal Road project commenced in October 2018 with a total cost of Rs 13,983 crore. The road has reduced travel time by 70% and fuel consumption by 34%, claims BMC.
