Mumbai Coastal Road Bottleneck Ignites Citizen-Led Campaign for New Exit
For Malabar Hill resident Mehul N. Shah, the daily commute home presents a frustrating irony. After a swift drive on the Coastal Road, nearly 40% of his total travel time is spent crawling through a mere 300-metre stretch after exiting at Breach Candy. Shah, who serves as vice president of the Bharat Diamond Bourse in BKC, is among a growing number of south Mumbai residents rallying for an additional exit at Nepeansea Road (NSR) on the northbound arm of the Coastal Road. This demand has evolved into a robust citizen-led campaign dubbed Unlock the Exit.
Roots of the Congestion Crisis
The movement asserts that a critical exit, proposed in earlier planning stages, was inexplicably dropped from the final detailed project report (DPR) of 2016, leading to the severe congestion experienced today. While the Coastal Road has successfully reduced travel time from Bandra to south Mumbai—with the stretch from the Bandra-Worli Sea Link toll to Amarsons Interchange taking just eight to ten minutes—the final 300 metres to Mukesh Chowk can balloon to 20-25 minutes during peak hours. Residents argue this bottleneck undermines the road's intended benefits.
Mahesh Malkani, a resident of Bomanji Petit Road, highlights the domino effect: without a dedicated NSR exit, vehicles are forced to exit at Amarsons Garden. "This has created a massive bottleneck where 300-metre stretches can take 25 to 45 minutes to navigate during peak hours," he explains. "Traffic diversion through Bomanji Petit Road, already burdened by school traffic and illegal valet parking, has worsened the situation significantly."
A Technically Feasible Solution
Residents emphasize that a technically viable solution exists, involving direct access via a plot under the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), without disrupting ongoing garden and promenade plans. The proposal includes both a vehicular exit and a pedestrian walkway and has been discussed with various stakeholders. Nandini Chabria, speaking on behalf of the Breach Candy ALM and Breach Candy Residents Forum (BCRF), notes that the issue extends beyond one neighbourhood. "The bottleneck is affecting the entire Breach Candy-Kemps Corner-NSR-Malabar Hill corridor," she states, adding that feasibility discussions have already taken place with Coastal Road officials.
Documents reviewed reveal that earlier frameworks—including the Development Plan of 1991 and a 2011 joint technical committee (JTC) report—had recommended an NSR exit. However, it was omitted in the 2016 DPR without any publicly stated reason. Shah recalls opposition at the time: "Back then as well, I knew that this was a crucial exit and hence never agreed to those who said there shouldn't be an exit at NSR."
Data-Driven Advocacy and Community Mobilization
The campaign is framed as a data-driven effort, combining extensive research with community mobilization. Residents argue that DPR recommendations to expand nearby roads remain unimplemented and impractical due to dense development. They have also labeled the traffic projections as "flawed", alleging they underestimated actual demand. To bolster their case, the group has reviewed thousands of pages of planning documents, launched social media outreach under @UnlockTheExit, and initiated petitions garnering over 5,000 signatures. Housing societies across the area have begun endorsing the proposal, including Godrej Baug on Nepeansea Road, which comprises 495 flats.
Civic officials have previously suggested that opposition from some residents led to the exclusion of the NSR exit—a claim the group disputes. With congestion worsening, residents insist the issue is now urgent. "Coastal Road was meant to ease traffic, not shift the bottleneck," said Shah. "Without an NSR exit, that promise remains only half fulfilled."
Official Response and Ongoing Efforts
Chief engineer of the Coastal Road project, Mantaya Swami, confirmed awareness of the demand. "BMC issued a letter in Dec 2025 to the PWD, requesting to handover of a 10.5 m-wide land strip from MSRDC... But no response has been received to date," he stated. On March 26, the NSR Citizens Forum wrote to BMC reiterating its earlier July 30, 2025 representation, emphasizing that residents have not been adequately consulted and demanding formal inclusion in decision-making processes.
As the campaign gains momentum, it underscores a broader narrative of citizen engagement in urban planning, highlighting how infrastructure projects must adapt to real-world usage patterns to fulfill their promises of efficiency and convenience.
