Nitin Gadkari, Union minister of road transport and highways, tweeted that the bridge would provide significant traffic relief to the Mumbai-Surat corridor.
The construction of the bridge was undertaken by the National Highway Authority of India in 2018 following wear and tear in the 50-year-old Gujarat-bound two-lane bridge.
It was rehabilitated in May 2017 but had to be shut down frequently to carry out inspections and repairs. Heavy vehicles were banned on the Gujarat-bound bridge. The Mumbai-bound two-lane bridge continued to be operational.
The bridge built at a cost of Rs 247 crore was set to be opened last month. Motorists were caught by surprise when vehicles were allowed to ply on the bridge on Monday evening.
Motorists have been complaining of massive traffic jams near Ghodbunder junction, which extends upto the Dahisar toll naka.
In December last year, Shiv Sena MP Rajan Vichare had inspected the work on the bridge and had said it would be thrown open for vehicles in the first quarter of 2023.
