CM Fadnavis Reviews GMLR Project, Eyes North Coastal Road Link
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
The Chief Minister's Office of Maharashtra announced on Sunday, 14 June 2026 that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis conducted an on-site inspection of the Goregaon–Mulund Link Road (GMLR) project in Mumbai, underscoring the state government's push to integrate the corridor with the proposed Mumbai Coastal Road Project (North) via an elevated connector.
What the Inspection Covered
The official post from the Chief Minister's Office states that GMLR हा प्रकल्प उन्नत कनेक्टरद्वारे प्रस्तावित 'मुंबई कोस्टल रोड प्रकल्प उत्तर'ला जोडला जाणार आहे ('The GMLR project is proposed to be connected to the Mumbai Coastal Road Project North through an elevated connector'). Once complete, the corridor is intended to link South Mumbai (Nariman Point) and western suburbs including Bandra and Andheri directly with Bhayander, Thane, and Mulund.
Accompanying CM Fadnavis during the site visit were Minister Adv. Ashish Shelar, MLA Ameet Satam, Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde, Deputy Mayor Sanjay Ghadi, and senior officials from the relevant departments.
Context
The Goregaon–Mulund Link Road is a proposed elevated road corridor designed to address Mumbai's chronic east-west connectivity deficit. The city's road network has historically been oriented along a north-south spine, leaving cross-suburban travel — particularly between the western suburbs and the eastern belt running through Thane and Mulund — heavily congested.
The Mumbai Coastal Road Project, whose southern section saw construction begin around 2018–2019 during an earlier Fadnavis administration, is a multi-phase expressway along Mumbai's western shoreline. Its northern extension is now proposed as the anchor to which GMLR would connect, creating a continuous corridor from the island city's tip to the northern and eastern suburbs.
Policy Backdrop
Maharashtra's infrastructure agenda has consistently prioritised elevated connectors and integrated urban expressways as solutions to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region's density-driven congestion. The GMLR–North Coastal Road integration fits into a broader state strategy of linking disparate project phases so that commuters benefit from seamless travel rather than disjointed corridors.
The involvement of the Mayor of Mumbai and senior civic officials alongside state ministers signals coordination between the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the state government — a coordination that has historically been critical for land acquisition, utility relocation, and project clearances in dense urban stretches.
Stakeholders and Impact
Millions of daily commuters in Mumbai's western suburbs — from Bandra northward through Andheri and beyond — stand to benefit if the corridor reduces travel time to eastern nodes like Thane and Mulund. Residents of Goregaon and surrounding areas have long sought faster cross-city access without routing through the congested Eastern Express Highway or Western Express Highway.
Business and logistics stakeholders in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region also have a direct interest: east-west road links can redistribute freight and commercial traffic, easing pressure on existing arterials.
What's Next
The inspection by CM Fadnavis typically precedes formal project-progress reviews and can trigger expedited approvals or revised timelines. Key milestones to watch include the finalisation of the elevated connector's alignment linking GMLR to the North Coastal Road, any land acquisition notices for affected stretches, and the state cabinet's formal clearance for the integrated corridor. The government's ability to move these phases in tandem will determine whether commuters see tangible relief within the current administration's term.