• NHSRCL launched a 100-metre-long steel bridge over NH-3 at Dive-Anjur village in Bhiwandi, Thane district, completing the first steel bridge for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train project in Maharashtra.
• The bridge weighs 1,405 metric tonnes and is 14 metres high and 14 metres wide.
• It was fabricated at a workshop in Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, about 1,300 km from the site, transported to Maharashtra on trailers and assembled before installation. Fabrication involved precision cutting, drilling, welding and painting to prescribed designs, drawings and specifications.
• Of 28 steel bridges planned along the corridor, 16 have been completed. They are used for longer spans across highways, expressways, major rivers and railway lines.
• The corridor will also use movable, or swing-nose, crossings at high-speed turnouts, allowing trains to operate safely at up to 320 km/h. Unlike fixed crossings, these eliminate the rail gap at the crossing point.

• The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) plans a 2.2-km, six-lane bridge across Vasai Creek linking Kolshet in Thane with Kalher in Bhiwandi. Estimated at ₹430 crore, it is expected to reduce travel time from about 45 minutes to 5–7 minutes. Tenders were issued on Thursday, and construction is expected to take three years.
• The bridge is intended to improve connectivity to industrial Bhiwandi, which is set to have a station on the Mumbai–Ahmedabad bullet train corridor. The powerloom and logistics hub has seen increased traffic towards Thane and Mumbai. The current route between Kolshet and Kalher detours via Balkum Naka and the old Kasheli bridge.
• Deputy chief minister and Thane guardian minister Eknath Shinde is pushing the project. MMRDA has also proposed a Bhiwandi Notified Surrounding Area, including a textile-cum-industrial park and a multi-modal corridor, and identified creek-crossing infrastructure as a priority.

Bhiwandi Nizampur Municipal Corporation’s interest-waiver scheme runs from November 7, 2025, to March 31, 2026: a 100% waiver from November 7–30, 75% from December 1–31, and 50% from January 1–March 31, 2026. The recovery target is ₹200 crore.

The current-year property-tax demand is ₹167.17 crore; previous-year arrears are ₹925 crore, including ₹418 crore in interest. The corporation’s total arrears are also described as nearly ₹1,000 crore. In the first seven months, it collected ₹29.96 crore: ₹16 crore for the current year and ₹13 crore from previous dues.

Tax Department head Sarheed Guru said 80 clerks have been assigned across five administrative divisions to collect dues from 285,171 property owners. A task force will monitor large defaulters. After the scheme ends, defaulters may face property seizure and legal proceedings.

• The 23.8-km Vadape-Thane Road expansion on the Old Mumbai-Nashik Highway is likely to open to traffic by Diwali.
• Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) says over 92% of the project is complete.
• The main carriageway is largely done: 22.46 km of 23.8 km finished.
• Service roads are also advanced: 17.40 km of 18.35 km completed.
• The corridor is being upgraded to an eight-lane highway with two-lane service roads on both sides.
• Three major structures are complete: Kalwa Creek Bridge, Kasheli Creek Bridge and Vadape Flyover.
• The 84-metre railway overbridge was around 72% complete in July; girder launching began after railway permission in May.
• The project includes 10 vehicular underpasses (VUPs); seven at Yewai, Walshind, Sonale, Saravali, Dive LVUP, Dive VUP and Kharegaon were completed.
• Pimplas, Ovali and Mankoli-Motagaon were in advanced stages.
• The road is expected to ease congestion on the Thane-Bhiwandi corridor and improve movement for freight operators.
• It will also help disperse traffic linked to the Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Mahamarg and improve access to Bhiwandi’s warehousing, logistics and industrial areas.
• The project cost is estimated at Rs 1,182 crore and is being executed by MSRDC for NHAI under the Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM).
• NHAI is funding the project upfront and will repay MSRDC in instalments over 15 years.

• Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation has completed 92% of the 23.8-km Vadape-Thane Road expansion along the Old Mumbai-Nashik National Highway.
• The project aims to decongest a busy freight and commuter route linking Thane, Bhiwandi and Nashik, and to improve movement for heavy vehicles heading to Bhiwandi’s warehouse cluster.
• The road will become an eight-lane corridor with two-lane service roads on both sides.
• Progress details:

• Three bridges are complete: Kalwa Creek Bridge, Kasheli Creek Bridge and Vadape Flyover.
• The railway overbridge is the only pending major structure; girder launching began after Railway Department clearance on 25 May, and completion is expected by September 2026.
• Seven underpasses are complete at Yewai, Walshind, Sonale, Saravali, Dive LVUP, Dive VUP and Kharegaon.
• Pimplas VUP, Ovali VUP and Mankoli-Motagaon VUP are targeted for August.
• The Rs 1,182 crore project is part of the traffic dispersal plan linked to the Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Mahamarg and is being executed under the Hybrid Annuity Model, with NHAI funding upfront and repaying MSRDC over 15 years.