India, June 19 -- Thousands of commuters travelling daily between Thane and Navi Mumbai by road often find themselves stuck in long traffic snarls at the Kalwa and Airoli-Mulund creek bridges, with peak-hour delays stretching to nearly an hour. In a bid to provide long-awaited relief, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has invited bids for a new road bridge connecting Kopri in Thane East with Patni near Airoli, taking one of the region's key connectivity projects a step closer to execution.

The MMRDA has floated tenders for the Rs.723.42-crore project, which involves the construction of a 1.4-km-long six-lane cable-stayed bridge across Thane Creek along with approach roads. The proposed crossing will originate f...