The Supreme Court (SC) of India has given its approval to resume work on the Mumbai coastal road project in Maharashtra, staying the decision of Bombay High Court (HC) to reject the Coastal Road Zone clearances.

The road project entails an investment of Rs140bn ($1.97bn).

The SC gave authorities permission to reclaim the land meant for the construction of the eight-lane 29.2km-long road project. However, they announced that the project cannot be developed until further court orders.

In July, Chief Justice Pradeep Nandrajog and Justice NM Jamdar of Bombay HC ordered the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) to halt work on the project. MCGM were asked to acquire new environment clearances and notifications after an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

The HC issued the judgement after fishermen’s cooperatives, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other architects and environmental activists filed public interest litigations (PILs) against the authorities involved in the project.

Authorities estimate that the finished road will carry around 130,000 cars daily. It aims to cut the travel time from South Mumbai to the western suburbs from 120 minutes to 40 minutes.

Last year, it was announced that the first phase of the Mumbai coastal road project will feature multi-level interchanges and 18 entry-exit points.

Beginning at the Princess Street flyover in Marine Lines and ending in Kandivli, the first phase of the road will feature eight lanes, with two reserved for the bus rapid transit system (BRTS).

In addition, four entry-exit points will be built at the Peddar Road interchange, while the Haji Ali and Worli interchanges will feature six and eight respectively.

In 2016, MCGM announced plans to release work orders for the Mumbai coastal road project.