Rebuilt Mahad Bridge may open for public on June 5: Maharashtra Minister

Mumbai: The work of rebuilding the British-era Mahad bridge, which had collapsed in August last year and claimed around 30 lives, is almost done and it is likely to be opened for public from June 5 this year.

Maharashtra Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Chandrakant Patil gave this information to reporters.

“The bridge is almost ready and we hope to open it for public on June 5. The bridge will be inaugurated by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray,” he informed.

Mr Patil was speaking after a review meeting held here with Gadkari and the authorities of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

“The state has spent around Rs. 27 crore on rebuilding the bridge,” he said.

When asked whether the Maharashtra government would also denotify state highways in the backdrop of the Supreme Court ban on liquor outlets along the highways, Mr Patil said, “We do not have any such plans and in Mumbai, it was just the Western and Eastern Expressways that were transferred to MMRDA.”

“We also do not have any plans of denotifying the Sion-Panvel highway,” he said.

The British-era Mahad bridge across the River Savitri on the Mumbai-Goa highway had collapsed on August 2, taking with it two buses and two private vehicles, carrying over 40 passengers.