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The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has decided to develop and widen the Shahad bridge that falls on the Kalyan-Murbad-Ahmednagar route. This bridge, which is presently 10-m wide, will be widened by 30 m, bringing much relief to motorists. Around two lakh vehicles use the bridge daily, many of these being trucks carrying vegetables from the rural parts of Murbad, Ahmednagar. MMRDA had already initiated the widening and concreting work of the Kalyan-Murbad road but there was no announcement about the bridge that is part of this stretch. Earlier this week, at a meeting held between Kalyan MP Shrikant Shinde and MMRDA officials, the plan to develop and widen this bridge was sanctioned. The bridge was built by the public works department, which also looked after its upkeep. During the monsoon, it was riddled with potholes but no proper repair work was undertaken on it. Last month, a 40-year-old woman died when a tanker hit her from behind when she was on her scooter. Locals claimed she lost her balance because of the potholes. “The bridge is too narrow to comfortably accommodate the number of vehicles using it. It was very necessary to widen as well as repair it, as potholes spring up on its surface every monsoon,� said Ameya Kothekar, 39, a motorist who takes the bridge daily to travel to work at Murbad.