The Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project has launched its first steel bridge in Maharashtra, a 100-metre structure weighing 1,405 metric tonnes.

The bridge was installed over NH-3, the Nashik Highway, at Dive-Anjur village in Bhiwandi, Thane district. It was launched during night-time traffic blocks to limit disruption to highway users, according to the National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited.

The steel structure was fabricated at a workshop in Trichy, Tamil Nadu, about 1,300 km away. The components were transported to Maharashtra on trailers and assembled on temporary trestles about 17.5 metres above the ground. Engineers used 22 skid arrangements and 54,076 high-strength bolts to pull the structure into position.

The corridor will have 28 steel bridges in all, of which 16 are now complete. Steel bridges are used where the alignment crosses highways, expressways, rivers, and railway lines. The 508-km corridor is India’s first high-speed rail line.

Why it matters: the launch shows how large, precision-built components are being made far from the site and installed with minimal disruption. Each completed bridge takes the project a step closer to trial runs.