Mumbai, March 11 : Chief Minister Eknath Shinde inaugurated the national commercial capital's first 'Mumbai Coastal Road' project's phase one's north-south arm connecting Worli-Marine Lines, here on Monday.

Shinde, along with Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis, Ajit Pawar and other dignitaries present, cut the ribbon throwing open the south-bound lane. It will be opened for regular traffic movement from Tuesday.

The swank new road, constructed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), includes a twin-tunnel running below Malabar Hill, the entire phase one project - which will be toll-free as announced by the government - is expected to be completed by May 2024.

Once operational, the MCR will slash the road commute time from around 60 minutes to barely 10 minutes, saving time plus fuel, and is expected to be extended from Worli to Dahisar (north-west Mumbai) in the coming years, officials said.

The MCR is being constructed by the BMC from its resources and has implemented a series of environment-friendly initiatives like gardens, a green belt, parking lots, a new sea-wall and promenade, and other public amenities, besides a smooth toll-free ride as decided by the state government and civic administration.

/IANS