17 August,2026 06:47 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
The 12.20-km GMLR is a major infrastructure project aimed at connecting Mumbai`s eastern and western suburbs. PIC/X
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Monday commenced tunnel excavation work under the Sanjay Gandhi National Park as part of the Goregaon-Mulund Link Road (GMLR) project.
The excavation of a 5.30-km-long twin tunnel between Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari (Film City) in Goregaon East and Amar Nagar in Mulund West began using advanced Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) technology.
The first TBM deployed for the project has been named âTulshi'.
The 12.20-km GMLR is a major infrastructure project aimed at connecting Mumbai's eastern and western suburbs. The project is being implemented in four phases.
Under Phase-3B, two three-lane tunnels are being constructed beneath the Sanjay Gandhi National Park between Goregaon East and Mulund West. The BMC said special care has been taken to ensure that the construction does not adversely affect the environment and biodiversity of the area.
The project includes 17 cross passages, 720 metres of twin box tunnels, and 600 metres of approach roads at Goregaon and Mulund, taking the total length of this phase to 6.62 km. The contractor will also be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the project for 10 years after its completion.
The project has received the required environmental clearances from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change under Phases 1 and 2, while the required tree-cutting permission has been obtained from the Supreme Court.
Around 906 project-affected persons are being rehabilitated at Kanjurmarg in six buildings comprising ground-plus-23 floors.
The tunnel project will use Earth Pressure Balance (EPB) TBMs for excavation and the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM) for constructing cross passages. It will also feature mechanical ventilation, a mist-based firefighting system, CCTV, SCADA control systems, LED lighting and modern signage.
Utility ducts have also been planned beneath the road within the twin tunnels. Each tunnel will accommodate a 1,800-mm-diameter water pipeline.
For quality control and project monitoring, Tipsia India Private Limited has been appointed as the Project Management Consultant (PMC), IIT Mumbai as the Proof Checking Consultant and VJTI Mumbai as the Third Party Quality Auditor.
The project has achieved around 21 per cent physical progress so far. The assembly of TBM-1 has been completed and its Site Acceptance Test has also been successfully conducted.
Assembly of TBM-2 is currently under way, with excavation by the second machine scheduled to begin in October 2026. The entire project is targeted for completion by February 2029.
Once completed, the GMLR will establish a direct link between the Western Express Highway and Eastern Express Highway. The BMC said the project is expected to significantly reduce traffic congestion between Mumbai's eastern and western suburbs and cut travel time from around 90 minutes to 20 minutes.
The project is also expected to save commuters considerable time and fuel, improve connectivity between the eastern and western suburbs, reduce response time for emergency services, facilitate commercial and industrial transport, and ease the load on Mumbai's existing road network.
