Mumbai Infrastructure to Get $3.5 Billion Boost to Ease Traffic

(Bloomberg) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unveil projects worth more than 294 billion rupees ($3.5 billion) in the nation’s financial hub on Saturday that are aimed at easing traffic congestion and boosting employment.

The road projects include one that will connect the city’s suburbs Thane and Borivali, and a tunnel that will link Goregaon and Mulund, the government said in a statement Friday. The 11.8-kilometer Thane-Borivali road will reduce travel time by one hour. 

Modi will also lay the foundation for a cargo terminal in Navi Mumbai and start a youth internship program aimed at enhancing skills with an outlay of 56 billion rupees to address unemployment.

This year, Mumbai started to close a two decade-long gap in its infrastructure development as it opened the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, India’s longest bridge, followed by a coastal road in the southern part of the city. The north phase of the metro line is also expected to start operations soon. These three projects account for a third of about $30 billion in rail and road projects that will become operational over the next few years.

New infrastructure initiatives worth 44.4 trillion rupees will become functional over the next two years, according to Bloomberg Economics. That figure equals the value of all projects built in the last 11 years.

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