Central Park at Mahalaxmi Race Course to boost Mumbai's green spaces, fight pollution: Eknath Shinde

In a landmark announcement on Republic Day Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde revealed ambitious plans to transform Mumbairsquos iconic Mahalaxmi Race Course into a worldclass central park spanning 300 acresMaharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said that this initiative aims to provide Mumbaikars with a muchneeded green spacemdashan oxygen parkmdashto address the citys growing pollution challenges and offer enhanced recreational facilitiesSpeaking about the project Shinde stated ldquoA 70hectare park will be built here The file for 120 acres of land at the Mahalaxmi Race Course has been opened and the agreement has been finalised This park will be a big gift for the people of Mumbai on Republic DayrdquoShinde emphasised the importance of the project in improving the cityrsquos environmental conditions ldquoThis will reduce Mumbais pollution and provide facilities for the people Such a central park is the need of the hour for a city like Mumbai where open spaces are scarcerdquo he remarkedIn addition to the park announcement Shinde shared his optimism about the coastal roadrsquos potential to revolutionize urban mobility in Mumbai He praised the internationalstandard technical work involved in the project remarking ldquoThe Coastal Road is being dedicated to the public on Republic Day marking a significant milestone for Mumbai This road will bring about a big change in the lives of MumbaikarsrdquoOn Sunday Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis inaugurated the northbound bridge connecting the Mumbai Coastal Road with the BandraWorli Sea Link Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and ministers Ashish Shelar and Mangal Prabhat Lodha were present at the eventAlong with the bridge the Chief Minister inaugurated three interchanges providing connectivity for vehicles travelling to areas such as Worli Prabhadevi Lower Parel and Lotus Junction According to a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC release on Friday the coastal road will be open for vehicular movement daily from 7 am to midnight with the northbound bridge accessible to the public from January 27Previously both northbound and southbound traffic had been directed onto the southbound bridge which opened to the public a few months earlier The newly inaugurated northbound bridge spans 827 meters including 699 meters over the sea and a 128meter access road The bridge features a 143meterlong 27meterwide and 31meterhigh Bo Arch String Girder weighing approximately 2400 metric tonsThe ambitious Mumbai Coastal Road Project is being developed in phases to provide faster access from south Mumbai to the northern suburbs stretching from Nariman Point to Dahisar Nearly 9437 of construction on the first phase covering a 1058km stretch from Shamal Das Gandhi Marg to the WorliBandra Sea Link has been completedFrom March 12 to December 31 2024 more than 50 lakh vehicles used the coastal road route with a daily average of 1800020000 vehicles according to the BMC