The cost of BMC’s ambitious Marine Drive makeover project has jumped nearly four times, from `35 crore to `135 crore, as authorities have decided to reconstruct it in cement concrete instead of using mastic asphalt.
A provision of `15 crore was made for the project in this year’s civic budget. The civic body will now make a budgetary provision of `50 crore each for the next two years and tenders will be floated by February.
In a bid to develop Marine Drive, also known as Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Road, the BMC has decided to relay the entire 4.3-km-long road and beautify it. The BMC had initially decided to relay Marine Drive by using mastic asphalt. However, the decision was later altered after a meeting with the Standing Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) members, who suggested that it should be rebuilt in cement to ensure better longevity.
“According to the STAC, asphalting of a road increases its life span by five to seven years, while cement concrete makes the road durable by 25 years. Hence, we decided to go for the latter,” said a senior civic official.
According to him, the BMC has planned to use “super” concrete for the construction of this road as it is better than normal concrete and the road can be opened to traffic in three days. Normal concrete takes 14 days to construct a road. Efforts will be taken to see that traffic is affected in the minimum possible way, he added.
The BMC has also appointed a consultant to decide the future course of the phase-wise reconstruction of Marine Drive.
Marine Drive, which connects Nariman Point to Girgaum Chowpatty, was built in the year 1940 and was last concretised more than 40 years ago. Its riding quality has deteriorated over the years.