Road connectivity between Thane and Navi Mumbai is set to receive a boost with the proposed six-lane Kopri-Patni Creek Bridge, which will provide a new route across Thane Creek. The project is intended to create a direct link between the two urban centres and add capacity to the region’s road network.

The bridge will connect Kopri in Thane East with Patni in Navi Mumbai. It will begin at Mith Bandar Road in Kopri, about 750 metres from Thane railway station, cross Thane Creek and land near Airoli Knowledge City Road in Navi Mumbai.

The project has advanced with Akshya Infra Projects emerging as the lowest bidder for a Rs. 5.61 bn contract. The contract covers the design and construction of the creek bridge as well as its approach road, with the work being taken up by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority, or MMRDA.

The proposed crossing will be around 1.4 km long and six lanes wide. It will also establish a direct connection between Thane Station Road and the Thane-Belapur Road corridor, creating an additional route between major roads on either side of the creek.

At present, the Airoli-Mulund Creek Bridge and Kalwa Creek Bridge are among the main road links between Thane and Navi Mumbai. The new bridge is intended to ease pressure on these existing crossings and reduce travel time, particularly during peak-hour traffic, once it is completed.

The project forms part of wider efforts to improve transport infrastructure across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Its direct connection to key roads in Thane and Navi Mumbai is designed to improve access for daily commuters, commercial vehicles and other road users travelling between the two areas.