Vivekananda Setu | |
---|---|
Coordinates | 22°39′11″N88°21′12″E / 22.65319°N 88.35326°E |
Carries | Rail cum Road bridge |
Crosses | Hooghly River |
Locale | Bally-Dakshineswar |
Official name | Vivekanada Setu |
Characteristics | |
Material | Steel and Stone |
Total length | 2,887 feet (880 m) |
History | |
Construction start | 1926 |
Construction end | 1931 |
Opened | 29 December 1931 |
Location | |
Vivekananda Setu (also called Willingdon Bridge and Bally Bridge) is a bridge over the Hooghly River in West Bengal, India. It links the city of Howrah, at Bally, to Kolkata, at Dakshineswar. Completed on 1931, it is a multispan truss bridge and was built to primarily to provide direct road and rail connectivity between the Calcutta Port and the major railhead at Howrah railway station on the West bank of the Hooghly River. [1] It is 2,887 feet (880 m) long having 9 spans in total. [2] The famous Dakshineswar Kali Temple is situated on the banks of the Hooghly River near the bridge. [3] The bridge is one of the four bridges linking Howrah and Kolkata. A new road bridge, the Nivedita Setu, was constructed 50 m (160 ft) downstream in 2007 due to weakening of the Vivekanada Setu caused by its ageing. [3] [4]
The bridge was originally named Willingdon Bridge after Viceroy of India, Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon. [5] [3] It was eventually renamed as Bally Bridge, before officially renamed as Vivekananda Setu. [3]
The erection and caissoning of the bridge was done by the noted Kutchi-Mestri railway contractor and industrialist Rai Bahadur Jagmal Raja. [5] [6] His nameplate can still be seen on each girder of the bridge. [5] The construction of bridge started in year 1926 and was completed in year 1931. [6] [5] The fabrication of the bridge was done at works of Braithwaite & Company, Calcutta. [6] [5]
The viaduct consists of 22 spans of 30 feet (9.1 m) girders built of masonry piers, whose foundations have been piled with reinforced concrete piles 40 to 50 feet long. The bridge itself consists of seven 350 feet (110 m) main spans and two 80 feet (24 m) land spans. The eight main piers in the river are founded on octagonal steel caissons, 70 feet by 37 feet, having two dredging holes each 19 feet in diameter. The caissons were all floated into position and founded by loading with concrete, sustaining the load on compressed air buoyancy and releasing the air on a suitable falling tide. [2] The length of the bridge is almost half a mile with 10 km (6.2 mi) long approach roads on both sides. [5] [7] The foundation was laid with well-sinking 100 feet (30 m) down the river beds. Girding, erection of abutments and arching were all done by Rai Bahadur Jagmal Raja. [5] This railway bridge is also important in the annals of history of railways in India because the railway for the first time crossed over River Hooghly and reached Calcutta at Sealdah Terminus thus connecting the East and West banks of the river. [5]
The bridge was by far the most expensive and the most difficult of the railway bridges to be constructed in India up to that time. The bridge was constructed at a total cost of ₹1.14 crore (equivalent to ₹296 croreorUS$37 million in 2020)
The first train that ran across the bridge was named Jagmal Raja Howrah Express by the British, acknowledging the feat of Rai Bahadur Jagmal Raja. The bridge cost over ₹1 crore (US$130,000) in those years. [5]
The bridge serves both road and rail:
The bridge had become weak as a result of ageing, and with heavy traffic, even repairs became difficult. Thus a second road bridge, the Nivedita Setu was constructed parallel to it and around 50 metres (165 ft) downstream. [8] It was opened to traffic in 2007. Following this the Vivekananda Setu allows traffic movement for light vehicles, namely passenger vehicles, while the Nivedita Setu helps traffic movement of heavy vehicles, like trucks. While trucks and other heavy vehicles are not allowed on the Vivekananda Setu, two and three wheelers are not allowed on the toll bridge of Nivedita Setu. [8]
Howrah is a city in the Indian state of West Bengal. Howrah is located on the western bank of the Hooghly River opposite its twin city of Kolkata. Administratively it lies within Howrah district, and is the headquarters of the Howrah Sadar subdivision. It is a part of the area covered by the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority. Howrah is an important transportation hub and gateway to Kolkata and West Bengal.
The Bhagirathi Hooghly River or the 'Bhāgirathi-Hooghly', or simply just Ganga, called the Kati-Ganga in the Puranas, is a river that rises close to Giria, which is north of Baharampur and Palashi, in Murshidabad and is the western distributary of the Ganges. The main course of the Ganges then flows into Bangladesh as the Padma. A man-made canal at Farakka connects the Ganges to the Bhagirathi to bring the abundant waters of the Himalayan river to the comparatively narrow river that rises in West Bengal.
Shibpur or Sibpur is a neighbourhood in Howrah city of Howrah district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA).
The Howrah Bridge is a balanced cantilever bridge over the Hooghly River in West Bengal. Commissioned in 1943, the bridge was originally named the New Howrah Bridge, because it replaced a pontoon bridge at the same location linking the cities of Howrah and Kolkata (Calcutta). On 14 June 1965, it was renamed Rabindra Setu after the great Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore, who was the first Indian and Asian Nobel laureate. It is still popularly known as the Howrah Bridge.
Belur is a neighbourhood in northern part of Howrah city in Howrah district, West Bengal, India. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA). The area is best known for Belur Math, a religious monastery containing a complex of temples. Belur Math is famous for being the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math, a monastic order, as well as that of the related Ramakrishna Mission, both founded by Swami Vivekananda. On the opposite side of the Hooghly River, opposite to Belur Math is the Dakshineswar Kali Temple.
Dakshineswar is a locality in Kamarhati Municipality of North 24 Parganas district under the jurisdiction of Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA). This place is historically famous for Dakshineswar Kali Temple, locally known as Maa Bhabatarini Mandir.
Uttarpara or Uttarpara Kotrung is a city and a municipality of Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA). Uttarpara is located at 22.67°N 88.35°E, within 10 km from Kolkata, the capital of the state of West Bengal. It is located along the Hooghly river, across from the Dakshineswar Kali Temple. Uttarpara is home to the Uttarpara Jayakrishna Public Library, Asia's oldest free public library.
The transport system of Kolkata, a city in India, is a mix of modern mass rapid transport and old transport modalities like rickshaws. Kolkata is connected to the rest of India by the National Highways, the extensive network of the Indian Railways, National Waterways and by air. The most traffic to Northeast India route via Kolkata.
Belgharia is a locality in Kamarhati Municipality of North 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) and a vital locality in Kolkata metropolitan area. Belgharia is also known for wholesale market for all types of Bags/Luggages/Purse etc. One must visit and check the Bag Market beside Belgharia Railway Station. Dakshineswar Kali Temple of Kolkata is in approximately three kilometers distance from Belgharia Railway Station. The Vivekananda Setu on the river of Hooghly which is one of the oldest bridge in Calcutta established for the connection between the city of Howrah and Kolkata is also at the adjacent area of Belgharia.
Bally is a neighbourhood in the city of Howrah of Howrah district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA).
Nivedita Setu is a multi-span extradosed bridge that was built over Hooghly River connecting Howrah with Kolkata,West Bengal. It runs parallel to and about 50 m downstream of the old Vivekananda Setu opened in 1932. The bridge is named after Sister Nivedita, the social worker-disciple of Swami Vivekananda. Belghoria Expressway that connects the meeting point of NH 16 with NH 19 at Dankuni to NH 12, NH 112, Dumdum/Kolkata Airport and northern parts of Kolkata passes over the bridge. The bridge is designed to carry 48,000 vehicles per day.
Bally, sometimes spelled Bāli, is a census town in Bally Jagachha CD Block of Howrah Sadar subdivision in Howrah district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of Kolkata Urban Agglomeration.
Vidyasagar Setu, also known as the Second Hooghly Bridge, is a toll bridge over the Hooghly River in West Bengal, India, linking the cities of Kolkata and Howrah.
Jagmal Raja Chauhan (1887–1974), better known as Rai Bahadur Jagmal Raja, was a noted railway contractor, industrialist, miner, private banker, aviation pioneer and philanthropist of India.
The Kutch Gurjar Kshatriyas (KGK) contributions to the Indian railways were widespread from the late 1850s to the latest reorganization of the Indian Railways infrastructure in 2003–2006. The community also widely known as Mistris of Kutch migrated from Kutch to perform the work and were involved in the laying down of railway tracks and construction of rail bridges in almost all railway routes of undivided British India.
The Howrah–Barddhaman main line is a broad-gauge railway line connecting Howrah and Barddhaman via Bandel. The 107 kilometres (66 mi) railway line operates in Howrah, Hooghly and Purba Barddhaman districts in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is part of the Howrah–Delhi main line and the Kolkata Suburban Railway system.
The Howrah–Bardhaman chord is a broad-gauge rail line connecting Howrah and Bardhaman. The 95-kilometre-long (59 mi) railway line operates in Howrah, Hooghly and Purba Bardhaman districts in the state of West Bengal. It is part of the Howrah–Gaya–Delhi line, Howrah–Allahabad–Mumbai line and the Kolkata Suburban Railway system.
Mulji Jagmal Sawaria, Rai Saheb (1889–1956) was a noted railway contractor, miner and Kutchi businessman, who established himself at Bilaspur, India.
The Calcutta Chord linkline, also known as the C.C. link line, is a 22 km (14 mi) long branch line of the Kolkata Suburban Railway which comes under the jurisdiction of Eastern Railway's Sealdah Division & Howrah Division.
Shri Ambica Steam Navigation Company was an Indian owned navigation company having its head office at Dadabhai Naoraji Road at Bombay.
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