While piling and reclamation work for the Rs13,000 crore Coastal Road project continues, the next step involves making two tunnels in South Mumbai. Civic officials said that the digging of the tunnels would begin in August and will be completed in a year from then.

A senior civic official said that the tunnel boring machine is being imported from China and would reach Mumbai in April. "We are getting the largest tunnel boring machine for the project, which can complete the work in a more efficient manner and will ensure the least amount of disruption. Setting up of the equipment will take a month or two.