The City Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO), responsible for town planning in Navi Mumbai, has announced plans to build a coastal highway connecting Amra Marg to the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT). This initiative aims to establish seamless connectivity to the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport, anticipated to be operational by December 2024.

Kailash Shinde, the Joint Managing Director of CIDCO, indicated that the construction of this crucial highway project is expected to span a period of at least 24 months. The proposed coastal highway will stretch across a distance of seven kilometers, linking the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) to the forthcoming airport. The project is estimated to cost over ?7700 crore.

Approval for the coastal highway project was granted by the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) during its meeting held on August 10, 2023. The meeting minutes were made public last week. It's worth noting that the undertaking of this project will necessitate the removal of 3,728 mangroves and 196 trees.

In August 2019, the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority granted Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance for the project. Subsequently, CIDCO approached the Mumbai High Court to seek approval for the necessary mangrove clearance, marking a significant step in the development of this critical infrastructure project aimed at enhancing transportation connectivity in the region.