Mahad bridge to be opened on June 5.

Maharashtra Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Chandrakant Patil on Monday announced that the reconstructed Mahad Bridge over the Savitri river would be inaugurated on June 5, 2017.

The colonial-era bridge had collapsed on August 2 last year and two MSRTC buses and a private SUV fell into the river and were washed away. The bridge was expected to be dismantled in December 2016 as part of the Mumbai-Goa Highway expansion plan. A panel has since been created to inspect bridges and roads across Maharashtra.

Mr. Patil said “We had committed to complete the bridge before the monsoons next year and as of right now our promise is being fulfilled.” The bridge will be inaugurated by Minister for Road Transport and Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari and Shiv Sena Party Chief Uddhav Thackeray.

Mr. Gadkari said the Mumbai-Goa highway will be developed as a ‘Green Highway,’ with 1% of the total cost of the project set apart for planting saplings.

The Minister has asked State government entities to seek tenders from the world renowned companies and award contracts to experts in the field and not award civic contractors.

The Minister attended a meeting to discuss ongoing Centre-funded road construction projects in the State. He asked officials to complete the work on the highway by January 2019. “₹11,747 crore has been sanctioned for the Maharashtra portion of the work, while total Detailed Project Report (DPR) worth ₹20,000 crore have been approved for the entire road,” he said.

Mr. Gadkari also reviewed the finalised DPR of coastal road in Konkan which will travel from Dahanu-Vasai-Alibaug-Srivardhan-Dabhol-Ganpatipule-Ratnagiri-Devgad-Malvan-Vengurla, which will run parallel to the highway. The tender process for the same is scheduled to be completed by May 31, 2017.

THE HINDU