The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has officially begun the tunnelling process for the Orange Gate-Marine Drive twin tunnels, a key infrastructure project aimed at improving traffic flow between Eastern Freeway and Mumbai Coastal Road.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, speaking at the launch event, emphasized the project's importance, saying, “This will help ease congestion for commuters, especially those coming from the Eastern suburbs, and will also assist in improving access to the Navi Mumbai airport." The tunnels, expected to be completed by December 2028, will span 9.96 km, with seven km underground. Each tunnel will feature two lanes plus an emergency lane.

The project, costing Rs 8,056 crore, is set to alleviate traffic bottlenecks on the already congested P D'Mello Road. The tunnels will run beneath 700 buildings, including heritage structures, and two railway lines. CM Fadnavis highlighted that the project will be an engineering marvel, with construction underway using a tunnel boring machine (TBM) suited for Mumbai's coastal geology.