Maharastra State Highway 42, commonly referred to as Ghodbunder Road or G.B. Road, runs entirely through the district of Thane. It is one of the major roads leading out of Thane city and connects to the Eastern Express Highway coming from south at Kapurbawdi, which later becomes National Highway 3 at this junction travels North-East. It also connects to the Western Express Highway coming from south at Ghodbunder village, which later becomes National Highway 8 at this junction traveling North-ward's towards Gujarat. General information Maharastra State Highway 42 is approximately 20 km long and links the two main arterial roads of Mumbai, the Eastern Express Highway and the Western Express Highway. It connects to Eastern Express Highway at Kapurbawdi village and Western Express Highway at Ghodbunder village. The Kapurbawdi bridge has been constructed to ease the traffic congestion. This highway is tolled by the MSRDC. This road skirts the northern boundary of Salsette Island providing scenic views of the Yeoor hills and the Thane creek. Ghodbunder Road cuts across dense forests which form part of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. It also skirts the Vasai Creek for most of its route and overlooks the forest from across the creek. In spite of development encroaching on the forest, much of flora and fauna continue to survive and prosper. Ghodbunder Road is lined with numerous historical monuments like the Ghodbunder Fort. Naglakot, Gaimukh Gadi and Firangkot, which although damaged now, unfold stories of the 1500 century era reign of the Portuguese. This road once played a crucial role in Indo-Arab trade and later the Portuguese used it to monopolise sea routes in the Arabian Sea, at one point acted as a bridge between distant cultures. Several empires fought wars to control it. The Persian horses that came from the Arab countries used to land in the port (bunder) at the west end of this road. Hence, it initially came to be known as Ghodegaon (horse village). Around the time of Chhatrapati Shivaji in the later centuries that the road got named after the port, and was called Ghodbunder Road. Locals say that till 1950, it was only a dirt road with residents of centuries old villages like Waghbil, Majhiwada, Patlipada, Ghodbunder, Kolshet and Kasarwadavli using bullock carts for transport. The surrounding forests had considerable plants like cashew, mangoes that were brought in by the Portuguese. The area was very rich in flora