The Khopta creek bridge in Uran has been reopened temporarily for light vehicles after repair work, easing traffic pressure on the route during the Diwali travel period. Heavy container and other overloaded vehicles, however, will continue to wait until the bridge undergoes a load-capacity test and receives clearance for wider use.
The reopening was carried out by the Public Works Department without a formal political event. The decision allows local residents, commuters and smaller vehicles to use the bridge again while the department completes the remaining technical process required for heavy traffic.
According to the department, the bridge repairs are substantially complete, but a post-repair weight-capacity assessment has not yet been conducted. The test is necessary before heavy vehicles can be permitted to cross. The department said the bridge would be opened for broader traffic after the inspection is completed by senior officials.
The restriction is significant for Uran’s freight movement because the route is used by container vehicles and other heavy traffic. Until the load test is completed, these vehicles will remain subject to the existing limitation, even as light vehicles use the repaired structure. The temporary arrangement is intended to reduce congestion during a period of increased movement.
The repair project was initially supported by a sanctioned fund of Rs 5 crore, with physical work beginning in December 2025. The work was originally assigned a three-month deadline. During the repairs, officials identified additional requirements in the bridge’s internal sections, leading to a further demand for Rs 5 crore. The total reported cost of the work consequently rose to Rs 10 crore.
The additional funding was secured after follow-up efforts by Uran MLA Mahesh Baldi, according to the report. Local political representatives and social workers, including Uran Maharashtra Navnirman Sena president Satyawan Bhagat, Sanjay Thakur, Gorakh Thakur, representatives of the Thackeray Sena and former MLA Manohar Bhoir, had also pursued the repair issue with the Public Works Department.
The bridge was opened in the presence of Public Works Department deputy engineer D.M. Patil, engineer Rahul Hemak, traffic police officer Sanjay Patil and local social workers and entrepreneurs, including Devendra Patil and Gorakh Thakur. Their presence marked the operational reopening, but not the final clearance for all categories of traffic.
D.M. Patil, deputy engineer with the Public Works Department in Uran, said the repair work had reached completion but that the bridge’s weight-capacity inspection was still pending. The next formal step is the senior-level load testing and subsequent decision on when heavy vehicles can return to the bridge.
