The civic body may start opening the coastal road in phases from November 2023, officials said. With the approval to the revised design for increasing the gap between two pillars near Worli Koliwada pending, the completion of the project will take another six months, they added. The delay would also cost the BMC additional Rs 650 crore. Though most parts of the bridge are almost near completion, the interconnection between the coastal road and the Bandra-Worli sea link is in the nascent stage and won’t be done before the deadline of November.

“As we dropped one pillar from the plan, there was a need to change the design. The revised design has not received the final nod yet. The material and technique will change as per the design, hence the work cannot be completed within the stipulated deadline,” said an engineer assigned on the coastal road project. The remaining part of the coastal road—from Princess Street flyover to Worli—will be completed by November and may even be opened to traffic, he said. The interchange will be open late on.