Mumbai, Aug. 24 -- The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has begun constructing piers in Dindoshi and Goregaon, along with preliminary work in areas that don't fall under Coastal Regulation Zones (CRZs), for the ambitious Versova-Bhayandar Coastal Road project. Full-scale construction is expected to begin by the end of September, once the state mangrove cell grants the remaining environmental clearances, officials said. The 27-kilometre coastal road is expected to significantly cut road travel time between Versova and Bhayandar to just 15 minutes. The project is also expected to enhance east-west connectivity by linking with the proposed Goregaon-Mulund Link Road (GMLR), which aims to connect the Western and Eastern Express Highways. However, a large portion of the coastal road will go through mangrove land and CRZ areas, for which the BMC requires multiple environmental permissions. For now, work has commenced in non-CRZ areas, confirmed a civic official from the BMC's coastal road department. "The BMC has started pier and test pile foundation work on non-CRZ land from Oberoi Mall in Goregaon to the Dindoshi Court in Malad East. In the Old Fisheries Institute near Amarnath Tower in Versova, we have started trenching," the official said. The northbound phase of the coastal road will have infrastructure such as double-decker elevated roads, a road on stilts, a cable-stayed bridge, and a cut-and-cover tunnel running beneath the Manori Creek, much of which will be in CRZ areas. While a 1.2-km stretch in Goregaon lies outside the CRZ, a majority of the project runs through sensitive mangrove and creek areas. Earlier this month, the BMC secured stage 1 approval from the environment ministry for the diversion of mangrove forest land. "As soon as we get stage 2 permission from the mangrove cell, we expect to commence full-fledged work by September end," the official added....