Old Godavari Bridge

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Old Godavari Bridge
Godavari Bridge.jpg
Havelock Bridge on the left and Godavari Arch Bridge on the right.
Coordinates 17°00′26.6″N81°45′21″E / 17.007389°N 81.75583°E / 17.007389; 81.75583
CarriesRailway Line
Crosses Godavari River
Locale Rajahmundry, India
Official nameThe Havelock Bridge
Other name(s)Old Godavari Bridge
Followed by Godavari Arch Bridge
Characteristics
Total length2.7 kilometres (1.7 mi)
Design life100 years
History
Construction start11 November 1897 (1897-11-11)
Opened30 August 1900 (1900-08-30)
Closed1997
Location
Old Godavari Bridge
The Havelock Bridge plaque commissioned in 1897 AD and opened for traffic in 1900 AD The Havelock Bridge plaque unveiled in 1900 AD.jpg
The Havelock Bridge plaque commissioned in 1897 AD and opened for traffic in 1900 AD

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 Kovvur and Rajahmundry of the state of Andhra Pradesh.

Contents

History

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.

Present status

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 the project was still awaiting funds to commence. [10]

Sister bridges

See also

Related Research Articles

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The Godavari is India's second longest river after the Ganga River and drains 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 distributaries. Its 312,812 km2 (120,777 sq mi) drainage basin is one of the largest 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.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rajahmundry</span> City in Andhra Pradesh, India

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References

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  2. Khan, Mukram. "The Havelock Bridge Memorial Stone". Flickr. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  3. Butterley Brick, 200 years in the making. Roy Christian, 1990, p. 142, Henry Melland Ltd; London.
  4. "Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News: Havelock Bridge to be a national monument". The Hindu . 26 July 2007. Archived from the original on 8 September 2008. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  5. "Rajahmundry Municipal Corporation: Introductory". Rajahmundry Municipal Corporation. 8 February 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  6. "Andhra Pradesh / Rajahmundry News : Havelock bridge to be developed into tourist spot". The Hindu . 18 December 2008. Archived from the original on 25 January 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  7. "National / Andhra Pradesh: Fate of Havelock bridge hangs in balance". The Hindu . 16 March 2009. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  8. "Andhra Pradesh / Rajahmundry News : MP's plea on Havelock Bridge". The Hindu . 24 April 2010. Archived from the original on 26 April 2010. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  9. "Need To Develop Old Godavari Bridge, Known As ... on 22 April, 2010". Lok Sabha Debates. Indian Kanoon. 22 April 2010. Archived from the original on 27 October 2014.
  10. Chowdhury, Arka Roy (5 December 2017). "Havelock Bridge may soon be converted into a tourist destination". Gurgaon, India: Happy Trips (Times Internet). Archived from the original on 5 December 2017.