Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is slated to inaugurate this section of the Coastal Road project on 26 January, coinciding with Republic Day. However, the southbound connector will officially open to traffic the following Monday, 29 January. This new connector is expected to drastically improve the flow of traffic between the north and south of the city, offering a direct route from the BWSL to Marine Drive without the need for detours. Previously, commuters from South Mumbai had to travel north via the Bandra Worli Sea Link, continue along Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan Marg in Worli, and then return to the coastal road. With the completion of the southbound connector, traffic will be able to move seamlessly between Marine Drive and the Sea Link, significantly reducing travel time. A senior civic official confirmed that while the connector will open in late January, other works on two interchanges in Worli and one in Haji Ali remain ongoing. These interchanges are expected to be completed by February 2025. Additionally, the 7.5-km continuous promenade stretching from Priyadarshini Park at Breach Candy to the Worli end of the Sea Link is anticipated to be ready by May. The project is already credited with reducing travel times by 70 percent and fuel consumption by 34 percent, according to BMC. Also nearing completion is the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) behind Tata Garden in Breach Candy. This will serve as the nerve centre for managing the Coastal Road’s Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS), allowing for more efficient traffic monitoring and control.