J Kumar Infraprojects (JKIL) last week was declared as the lowest bidder to construct 9.678 km Kharghar Coastal Road (KCR) after Navi Mumbai’s City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) opened financial bids.

KCR project will initially connect Jalmarg Sector-16 with Kharghar Railway Station along Panvel Creek with a future extension proposed towards Belapur and Nerul’s Passenger Water Terminal.

The project will utilize 2.986 km of existing roads, while the rest will be built on stilts or by reclaiming land. In August 2024 it received Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance from India’s Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEF&CC).

CIDCO then invited bids for its construction in September 2024 with a 2.5 year construction deadline. Technical bids were opened on December 23, 2024 to reveal 4 bidders out of whom Ashoka Buildcon was disqualified as they didn’t submit evidence to demonstrate sufficient work experience.

Financial bids of the technically-qualified bidders were opened on January 2.

Financial Bid Values

CIDCO’s Brief Scope: Design and Construction of Coastal Road from Jalmarg Sector – 16, Kharghar to PMAY Housing Scheme near Kharghar Railway Station, and Pedestrian Underpass near Delhi Public School, Nerul at Navi Mumbai.

CIDCO’s estimate remains unknown to me, so we’ll have to wait and see how this plays out. The Rs. 300 crore figure mentioned in the graphic above is one of the original estimates from years ago. Several design changes have taken place since that figure was calculated.

Local residents in the area have expressed environmental concerns about KCR using 2.9 kms of existing neighborhood roads. The project also involves significant destruction of mangroves (8.222 hectares) termed as “forest land” which I’m not too pleased about as they help protect the coast and absorb impact during rising tides and extreme weather events.

KCR project will have an interchange with Sion – Panvel Expressway. Along with the 5.8 km Ulwe Coastal Road (in orange above) which is also under construction by J Kumar, it proposes to strengthen connectivity in the region with two mega projects in the region – the operational Mumbai Trans Harbor Link (MTHL) and upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA).