The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is planning two more ring routes, taking its proposed network from seven to nine and extending it beyond Mumbai to Thane, Navi Mumbai and the northern suburbs.

The two proposed rings will together cover about 307 km. The MMRDA, however, is not proposing to build 307 km of new roads. Instead, the routes will connect existing roads with projects under construction and those still being planned, creating continuous loops across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

The 197-km eighth ring road will connect Navi Mumbai and Thane, while the 110-km ninth ring road will run from Nariman Point along Mumbai’s western coast to Borivali, turn east towards Thane and then return to South Mumbai through the eastern corridors.

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The addition marks a change from the original seven ring road plan, which envisaged progressively larger loops beginning at Nariman Point. The new routes take the concept further into the wider MMR.

“The approach represents a paradigm shift from looking at individual infrastructure projects in isolation to treating Mumbai and the MMR as one integrated road network,” said Sanjay Mukherjee, metropolitan commissioner, MMRDA.

The eighth ring road will begin at Sewri, the Mumbai end of the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL). It will use the Eastern Freeway and its under construction extension towards Thane.

From Thane, the route will use the Anand Nagar Saket elevated road and then head towards Navi Mumbai through the Mumbai-Vadodara Expressway and NH 4B to Chirle. From there, it will head onto the MTHL to return to Sewri.

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According to MMRDA officials, the route will provide a direct connection between Thane, Navi Mumbai and Bhiwandi and improve access to the JNPT region and other major freight and development centres. It will also connect emerging development areas such as Amane in Thane.

The ninth ring road will follow a different route. Beginning at Nariman Point, it will run north along the coastal road network, using the Bandra Worli Sea Link, Versova Bandra Sea Link and the northern coastal road to reach Borivali.

From Borivali, the route will turn east through the Thane-Borivali Twin Tunnel and enter Thane. It will then head south through Thane Coastal Road 1, the Anand Nagar Saket elevated road, the Eastern Freeway extension and the Eastern Freeway. The proposed Orange Gate tunnel will connect it back to Nariman Point.

Both routes are planned as access-controlled corridors with a design speed of 80 kmph. Entry and exit points will be limited and several stretches are expected to be tolled.

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However, the two rings will not become continuous routes immediately. Their completion depends on several projects that are still under construction or at the planning stage. The MMRDA is targeting 2029 for both routes to be fully operational.

One of the key issues will be how the different projects are connected. The authority plans ramps, connectors, junction improvements and interchanges at locations where the corridors meet, with the design to be finalised after detailed engineering and traffic studies. The cost of stitching together these different projects is still being worked out.

“At locations where different corridors converge, suitable solutions such as ramps, connectors, junction improvements and interchange arrangements will be planned based on detailed engineering and traffic assessments,” Mukherjee said.

The network will bring together roads and projects being developed by several agencies, including the MMRDA, BMC, MSRDC and NHAI. The original seven ring road plan also relied on projects being developed by different agencies, including the Sewri Worli Connector, Orange Gate tunnel, Goregaon Mulund Link Road and Thane Borivali Twin Tunnel, besides existing links such as the JVLR and SCLR.

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The objective, according to officials, is to move long distance traffic away from congested internal roads by giving motorists alternative routes around Mumbai and the wider MMR.

The MMRDA is also examining whether some existing corridors will need additional capacity. The Eastern Freeway and Sewri Worli Connector, and the like, which have two lanes in each direction, could be widened depending on technical feasibility, available right of way and traffic studies.

Orange Gate to Marine Drive to Nariman Point

STATUS: UNDERCONSTRUCTION

What does the ninth Ring Road connect?

* South Mumbai

* Western Suburbs

* Borivali

* Thane

* Eastern Suburbs

Why it matters

* Ninth ring creates a loop around Mumbai and Thane.

* A vehicle travelling from South Mumbai to Borivali can continue east through the Thane Borivali Twin Tunnel, travel through Thane and return towards South Mumbai using the eastern road network.