India’s First Musical Road Is Here: Mumbai Coastal Road Now Sings ‘Jai Ho’ As You Drive Over It

Mumbai has unveiled a world-first for India with a musical road on the Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Coastal Road that plays the globally loved song ‘Jai Ho’ as motorists drive over it at the correct speed. The innovative 500-metre stretch was inaugurated on February 11, 2026, by Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis in the presence of deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde and other officials.

The idea behind the musical road is to blend engineering creativity with driving safety and urban innovation. Motorists travelling in the northbound lane from Nariman Point towards Worli, just after exiting the coastal tunnel, will now experience the iconic 'Jai Ho' melody from the Oscar-winning ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ film as their car tyres interact with precisely cut grooves in the asphalt.

How Does Mumbai’s Musical Road Work?

The musical effect is created by rumble strips or grooves cut at carefully calculated intervals into the road surface. When a vehicle passes over these at around 70-80 kilometres per hour, the vibrations between the tyres and the grooves generate sound waves that combine into the recognisable notes of Jai Ho. The sound is designed to be heard inside the vehicle cabin and not broadcast externally, minimising noise pollution while encouraging drivers to maintain a safe, steady speed.

To guide commuters, signboards have been installed well before the musical section at distances of 500 metres, 100 metres, and 60 metres, including within the tunnel, so drivers can adjust their speed in time to catch the musical effect. Traffic officials say the innovative installation will help promote speed discipline on the busy coastal artery.

This project, costing several crores of rupees, uses technology developed originally in places like Hungary, Japan, South Korea and the UAE, where musical roads have been trialled as creative traffic-management features. Mumbai’s Coastal Road is only one of a handful of urban corridors worldwide with such an acoustic design.

For city commuters and visitors, the musical road adds a cultural and enjoyable twist to what was already an engineering marvel. The Coastal Road itself, spanning over 29 kilometres and dramatically cutting travel times between south Mumbai and northern suburbs, now combines infrastructure, innovation and entertainment in a single drive.

(With inputs from various sources.)

FAQs

1. Where is India’s first musical road located?

India’s first musical road is located on the northbound lane of the Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Coastal Road in Mumbai, just after the coastal tunnel exit from Nariman Point towards Worli.

2. How does the Mumbai musical road play ‘Jai Ho’?

The road has specially engineered grooves cut into the asphalt. When vehicles pass over them at around 70 to 80 kmph, tyre vibrations create sound waves that form the melody of ‘Jai Ho’.

3. What speed is required to hear the musical effect?

Drivers must maintain a steady speed of approximately 70 to 80 kilometres per hour to clearly hear the tune inside their vehicle.

4. Who inaugurated the musical road in Mumbai?

The stretch was inaugurated by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and other officials.

5. Are there other musical roads in the world?

Yes, musical roads have been developed in countries such as Hungary, Japan, South Korea and the UAE as creative traffic-calming and tourism features.