Mumbai: The proposed Thane-Ghodbunder twin tunnel project—expected to significantly decongest one of the city's busiest arterial stretches—is currently caught in a legal tangle, even as the Supreme Court is set to pass an interim order this Thursday on the contentious tendering process led by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA).
The project is in dispute between construction giant Larsen & Toubro (L&T), an allegedly disqualified bidder, and the MMRDA which has selected Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Ltd (MEIL), the firm has been selected as the lowest bidder. After the Bombay High Court upheld MMRDA’s decision, L&T challenged the ruling in the apex court.
The ambitious twin tunnel, which will span 11 km beneath the Sanjay Gandhi National Park and Yeoor Hills, aims to slash travel time between the eastern and western suburbs by up to an hour. The tunnel will connect Thane to Ekta Nagar in Borivali via a two-lane carriageway in each direction along with an emergency lane.
Currently, the Thane-Ghodbunder Road—a 23 km stretch—serves as a crucial east-west link connecting National Highway 3 (Mumbai-Nashik) with National Highway 8 (Mumbai-Ahmedabad). It sees heavy commercial vehicle traffic, resulting in long travel times, air and noise pollution, and frequent fuel wastage.
This project will drastically improve connectivity between the Central and Western suburbs. The distance saved will be around 11 km and the travel time reduced by nearly 60 minutes.
Thane and Borivali are not directly connected at present, forcing motorists to rely on the congested Thane-Ghodbunder Road. The current lack of viable east-west connectors between Jogeshwari and Mira-Bhayander on the Western Express Highway (WEH), and between Vikhroli and Thane on the Eastern Express Highway (EEH), adds to the traffic woes.
With few alternatives, vehicles travelling between Nashik, Kalyan-Dombivli, Navi Mumbai, Thane, and the western suburbs must take long detours through Ghodbunder, contributing to significant delays and environmental degradation.
The urgency of the twin tunnel is underscored by rising traffic volumes and overburdened link roads like the Santacruz-Chembur Link Road (SCLR), Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road (JVLR), and Andheri-Ghatkopar Link Road (AGLR), which regularly see gridlocks during peak hours.
The Thane-Ghodbunder road originally maintained by the Public Works Department (PWD), was handed over to the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) in 2000 for widening and maintenance on a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) basis. The concession ended in December 2020, after Rs 172 crore was spent on upgrades and securitization of tolls.
For now, the fate of the tunnel—and the potential relief it promises—hangs on the upcoming Supreme Court decision.
The proposed 2 +2 lane tunnel are as follows:
Total length - 11.80 km. (Tunnel: - 10.25 km, junction: - 1.55 km)
Tunnel Diameter : 12.2 m (2 tunnels each of 2 lanes.)
At every 300m there will be a cross connection lane.
Fire extinguishers / water hoses, smoke detectors, well illuminated retro reflective / led light sign boards shall be installed at appropriate locations
The projected volume of traffic in this proposed new connectivity has been estimated to be around 50,000 PCU.
the estimated construction cost of the project ₹. 16600.40 crores (including land acquisition.
The project is divided into 2 civil works packages and the third package is a well-planned transport system (Intelligent Transport) work package.
The lowest offer received is from MEIL
The construction period of the project will be Five year.
