• 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.

• The newly constructed Kharegaon Creek Bridge in Thane has been opened for public use.
• It is a key part of the Majiwada-Vadape road widening project on the Mumbai-Nashik Highway.
• The bridge is 825 metres long and provides a four-lane carriageway.
• The old narrow creek bridge created a bottleneck by forcing two-way traffic into a single constrained path, causing severe congestion and longer travel times.
• The new bridge is expected to improve traffic flow between Mumbai and northern Maharashtra.
• Total project cost: ₹1,182.87 crore.
• The project is expected to benefit commuters travelling to and from Thane, Mumbai, Mumbra, Kalwa, Bhiwandi, Kalyan and Nashik.
• The bridge is strategically important as traffic from the Samruddhi Mahamarg (Nagpur-Mumbai Super Communication Expressway) moves into the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

Ward No. 9D is one of four sub-wards of Ward No. 9 in Thane Municipal Corporation, reserved for General category. Ward No. 9 has total population of 62,268 (5,756 Scheduled Castes, 1,064 Scheduled Tribes). The official boundary of Ward 1 as published in Maharashtra Government Gazette includes: "from Atmaram Patil Chowk towards South and towards West upto compound wall of Sanghvi Valley Complex and thereafter from compound wall of Sanghvi Valley towards South upto Central Railway Slow Track Tunnel." TMC has 41 total wards representing 165 corporators. Previous TMC election held 21 February 2017 resulted in: Shiv Sena 67 seats, Nationalist Congress Party 34 seats, Bharatiya Janata Party 23 seats, Indian National Congress 3 seats, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen 2 seats, Independents 2 seats. Next election scheduled 15 January 2026 with vote counting on 16 January 2026.

• The ongoing survey for the delayed elevated Airoli–Kalwa railway corridor may be stalled unless a written rehabilitation agreement is issued for all project-affected slum dwellers.
• The issue was raised after Thane Municipal Commissioner said rehabilitation of affected families would begin soon after the survey.
• NCP-SP leader Jitendra Awhad said the letter did not clarify where or how rehabilitation would be done.
• The corridor is about 3 km long and is being executed under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP).
• The project is intended to improve Trans-Harbour rail connectivity.