Old Godavari Bridge | |
---|---|
Coordinates | 17°00′26.6″N81°45′21″E / 17.007389°N 81.75583°E Coordinates: 17°00′26.6″N81°45′21″E / 17.007389°N 81.75583°E |
Carries | Railway Line |
Crosses | Godavari River |
Locale | Rajahmundry, India |
Official name | The Havelock Bridge |
Other name(s) | Old Godavari Bridge |
Followed by | Godavari Arch Bridge |
Characteristics | |
Total length | 2.7 kilometres (1.7 mi) |
Design life | 100 years |
History | |
Construction start | 11 November 1897 |
Opened | 30 August 1900 |
Closed | 1997 |
Location | |
The Old Godavari Bridge (also known as The Havelock Bridge) is a decommissioned bridge that spans the Godavari River in Andhra Pradesh, India. Commissioned in 1900, the bridge served trains plying between Howrah and Madras.[ citation needed ] It is the earliest of three bridges that span the Godavari River at Rajahmundry. The Godavari Arch Bridge was later constructed as a replacement for the Havelock Bridge. [1] The bridge along with the Godavari bridge and Godavari Arch Bridge is one of the most recognised symbols of Rajahmundry and of the state of Andhra Pradesh.
The construction of the bridge commenced on 11 November 1897 and opened for traffic on 30 August 1900. The Bridge was named after Sir Arthur Elibank Havelock, the then Governor of Madras. Frederick Thomas Granville Walton served as the Engineer-in-chief assisted by executive engineers R.A.Delanougerede, F.D.Couchman, J.E.Eaglesome. [2]
The bridge was constructed with stone masonry and steel girders. It has 56 spans each of 45.7 metres (150 ft)and is 3,480 metres (11,420 ft) long. The girders were fabricated by Butterley Company of Ripley, Derbyshire [3] The rail bridge served the busy Howrah-Chennai line until its decommissioning.
Having served its full life span of 100 years, it was decommissioned in 1997, and Godavari Arch Bridge was built as a replacement for the bridge. Today, the bridge is being used to host civic water supply pipelines.
After being planned to be converted into a national monument, [4] historic monument [5] now its finally planned to be converted into a tourist spot, [6] as a pedestrian pathway. In 2008 the Municipal Corporation of Rajahmundry passed a resolution expressing willingness to take up the beautification project. [7] With the Railways Ministry not coming forward for implementation of the project, Former Member of Parliament Vundavalli Aruna Kumar has appealed to the Railways Ministry for the approval of the project. [8] [9] As of 2017 [update] the project was still awaiting funds to commence. [10]
The Godavari is India's second longest river after the Ganga river and drains into the third largest basin in India, covering about 10% of India's total geographical area. Its source is in Trimbakeshwar, Nashik, Maharashtra. It flows east for 1,465 kilometres (910 mi), draining the states of Maharashtra (48.6%), Telangana (18.8%), Andhra Pradesh (4.5%), Chhattisgarh (10.9%) and Odisha (5.7%). The river ultimately empties into the Bay of Bengal through an extensive network of tributaries. Measuring up to 312,812 km2 (120,777 sq mi), it forms one of the largest river basins in the Indian subcontinent, with only the Ganga and Indus rivers having a larger drainage basin. In terms of length, catchment area and discharge, the Godavari is the largest in peninsular India, and had been dubbed as the Dakshina Ganga.
East Godavari is a district in the Coastal Andhra region of Andhra Pradesh, India. Its district headquarters is at Rajahmundry.
Rajahmundry, officially known as Rajamahendravaram, is a city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and District headquarters of East Godavari district. It is the fifth most populated city in the state. During British rule, the District of Rajahmundry was created in the Madras Presidency in 1823. It was reorganised in 1859 and bifurcated into the Godavari and Krishna districts. Rajahmundry was the headquarters of Godavari district, which was further bifurcated into East Godavari and West Godavari districts in 1925. When the Godavari district was bifurcated, Kakinada became the headquarters of East Godavari and Eluru became the headquarters of West Godavari. It is administered under Rajahmundry revenue division of the East Godavari district. The city is known for its floriculture, history, culture, agriculture, economy, tourism, and its heritage. It is known as the "Cultural Capital of Andhra Pradesh".
The West Godavari district is a coastal district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh with an administrative headquarters in Bhimavaram. As of the 2011 Census of India, the district has an area of 2,178 km2 (841 sq mi) and a population of 1,779,935. It is bounded by the Krishna district and Bay of Bengal to the south, East Godavari district to the east, and Eluru district, Kolleru Lake and Upputeru Drain to the northwest.
Kakinada is the sixth largest city of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and serves as the district headquarters of the Kakinada District. It lies on the coast of the Bay of Bengal. J.N.T.U. College of Engineering Kakinada, established in 1946, is the oldest and popular Government college in the state of Andhra Pradesh. The First Polytechnic college of Andhra Pradesh, Andhra Polytechnic was established here in 1946. It was also the origin point of Buckingham Canal where goods used to be transported by boats during the British rule. It was once home for Asia's largest sea port. Many people from the city migrated from this sea port to countries like Burma, Mauritius, Fiji and various southeast Asian countries to work there as workers where they were called as Coringas.
Eluru is a city and the district headquarters of Eluru district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is one of the 14 municipal corporations in the state and the mandal headquarters of Eluru mandal in the Eluru revenue division. The city is on the Tammileru river. The city is well known for its wool-pile carpets and hand woven products. As of 2011 Census of India, the city had a population of 214,414. Its history dates back to the second century CE.
Kovvur is a town in East Godavari district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a municipality and the mandal headquarters of Kovvur mandal in Kovvur revenue division.
Tadepalligudem is a city in West Godavari district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a Selection Grade municipality and the mandal headquarters of Tadepalligudem mandal and Tadepalligudem Revenue Division. Tadepalligudem is the second biggest city after Bhimavaram in West Godavari District as per 2011 census in terms of population.
Dowleswaram is a part of Greater Rajamahendravaram Municipal Corporation (GRMC). It also forms a part of Godavari Urban Development Authority.
Pithapuram or Pitapuram is a town and a municipality in the Kakinada district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The town also forms a part of Godavari Urban Development Authority. The town is home to one of the eighteen Maha Sakthi Peethas, which are significant shrines and pilgrimage destinations in Shaktism. Sripada Sri Vallabha, a prominent Hindu saint of 14th century was born and lived in Pithapuram. He is considered by his devotees as one of the first complete avatars (incarnations) of the deity Dattatreya in Kali Yuga.
The Butterley Company was an English manufacturing firm founded as Benjamin Outram and Company in 1790. Its subsidiaries existed until 2009.
Narasapuram, or Narsapur, is a Town in West Godavari district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a municipality and mandal headquarters of Narasapuram mandal in Narasapuram revenue division. The city is situated on the banks of the Vasista Godavari River. The lace industry is prevalent in the city and its surroundings.
The Godavari is a river in India.
The Godavari Bridge or Kovvur–Rajahmundry Bridge is a truss bridge spanning the Godavari River in Rajahmundry, India. It is India's third longest road-cum-rail bridge crossing a water body, the first one being the Bogibeel Bridge, also a rail-cum-road bridge over the Brahmaputra River in the Dibrugarh district of Assam state in north-east India, and second is Digha–Sonpur Bridge over Ganges in Bihar.
Gollaprolu is a town in Kakinada district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a Municipality in Gollaprolu mandal of Kakinada revenue division. Business is the main occupation of this town. The town also forms a part of Godavari Urban Development Authority.
Mummidivaram is a town in Konaseema district of Andhra Pradesh, India. The Mummidivaram revenue block was formed out of the Amalapuram tehsil in July 1969. It is the second largest town in Konaseema district.
The Godavari Arch Bridge is a bowstring-girder bridge that spans the Godavari River in Rajahmundry, India. It is the latest of the three bridges that span the Godavari river at Rajahmundry. The Havelock Bridge being the earliest, was built in 1897, and having served its full utility, was decommissioned in 1997. The second bridge known as the Godavari Bridge is a truss bridge and is India's third longest road-cum-rail bridge crossing a water body.
The Duvvada–Vijayawada section is a railway line connecting Duvvada of Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada, both in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The main line is part of the Howrah–Chennai main line. The track from Duvvada to Thadi is under the administrative jurisdiction of South Coast Railway, and the rest of the line from Anakapalle to Vijayawada is under the administrative jurisdiction of South Coast Railway zone headquartered in Visakhapatnam.
There are various modes of transportation available in Rajahmundry and its region in India. Although Auto rickshaws, bicycles are mostly used, mass transit systems – such as buses and trains. It is home for a domestic airport located near Madhurapudi and is named as Rajahmundry Airport.
Eluru district is a district in coastal Andhra Region in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. With Eluru as its administrative headquarters, it was proposed on 26 January 2022 to become one of the resultant twenty six districts in the state once a final notification is issued by the government of Andhra Pradesh. It is formed from Eluru revenue division and Jangareddygudem revenue division from West Godavari district and Nuzvid revenue division from Krishna district.