Kolkata, the city of palaces, is well-known for its numerous iconic landmarks, one of which is the pride of West Bengal, Howrah Bridge. A massive bridge constructed over the Hooghly River is renowned across the world as one of the longest cantilever bridges. Kolkata Howrah Bridge, also known by the name of Rabindra Setu, is the connecting bridge between Kolkata and Howrah.
We are here with an article that will take you down the historical lane of the Kolkata Howrah Bridge. To know more about Howrah Bridge, keep reading!
Insights on Howrah Bridge
It usually takes the traffic of 100,000 vehicles on a daily basis with endless pedestrians making their way through it, and it gets as grand as it is iconic. But the night Howrah bridge is what real opulence looks like. One can go for a ferry ride and delve into the mesmerising view of the city that the bridge offers.
A Brief Howrah Bridge History
In the year 1862, the construction proposal of Howrah Bridge was first presented because the then government of Bengal wanted to develop a bridge on the famous Howrah Bridge River, Hooghly. The government interacted with the Chief Engineer of the East India Railway Company to run checks about the feasibility of the idea but owing to multiple reasons, the proposal was never made concrete.
In the late 1800s, a pontoon bridge or what is famously known as the floating bridge was constructed between Howrah and Kolkata, but this development was unable to take up the massive traffic across the cities and the heavy storms that were quite frequent in the area. Hence, the government started seeking alternatives, and after years of contemplation, the new Howrah Bridge construction was taken into place.
Here’s one of the interesting Howrah Bridge facts, the bridge was constructed without using any bolts or nuts. The construction was solely done by riveting the steel in the proposed structure. When in 1943 the bridge was officially inaugurated, it was the third-longest cantilever bridge, but currently, it is the sixth-longest.
The Initial or Old Howrah Bridge
Formed in 1870, the Calcutta Port Trust was entrusted with the responsibilities of constructing and maintaining the Howrah Bridge under the Howrah Bridge Act of 1871. It was Sir Bradford Leslie who signed a contract for developing a pontoon bridge between the two cities, and it was constructed in the year 1874. A few parts of this initial bridge were developed in England and subsequently shipped to India.
On 17th October 1874, this initial Howrah Bridge was opened for the public, and the structure was 465.7 meters, 19 meters wide, and had pavements that were 2.1 meters wide on each side. Since water transport and steamers had to pass through the Hooghly River, the bridge was unfastened from time to time. After a few years, the bridge was lit with the electric lamp post. However, this bridge was not a success due to its inability to handle the heavy weather and traffic. Eventually, by the end of the century, the Port Commissioner had to look out for better alternatives.
The Plan and Commission of Howrah Bridge
Multiple Howrah Bridge drawings were presented, and various types of the bridge were considered before we got the legendary Howrah Bridge of Kolkata. In the year 1906, a committee was established to get insights on the traffic requirement, which had to be handled by the bridge. The reports submitted by the committee reflected that a floating type of bridge would be the right fit.
Further, in 1921, Mukherjee Committee led by Sir R.N. Mukerjee was established to take care of the Howrah Bridge construction. When Sir Basil Mott got to know about this, he suggested that the bridge should be built as a single span arch.
Subsequently, in 1922, the Mukerjee Committee presented the reports to the New Howrah Bridge Commission, which led to the creation of the New Howrah Act. In continuation, the committee suggested that a suspension bridge would be perfect as per the requirements. It was not only the construction but also the acquiring of land, levying of taxes, and employment that came into play. But this was all handled by the Howrah Bridge Act.
This wasn’t all. In 1930, another group of people was teamed as the Goode Committee, which evaluated the feasibility of constructing a bridge between Howrah and Kolkata. The reports by the committee were given to the M/s. Rendel, Palmer, and Mr Walton. It was Cleveland Bridge and Engineering Company Ltd, which was a British Company that secured the tender of building the Howrah Bridge. There were multiple global organisations that approached the government, but it was the Braithwaite Burn and Jessop Construction Company that bagged the terms of being the sub-contractor for Howrah Bridge construction.
In 1936, the construction of the bridge commenced, and it was completed in the year 1942. And on 3rd February 1943, the Howrah Bridge was opened for the public.
Structuring of the Howrah Bridge
At the beginning of its construction, the Howrah Bridge was the third-longest cantilever bridge. The bridge is a suspension cantilever bridge that was formed only by riveting the steel and without using any nuts or bolts. Twenty-six thousand five hundred tonnes of steel was utilised for construction from which the major portion was of Tiscom, a high tensile alloy produced and developed by Tata Steel.
The Howrah Bridge project is still considered to be one of the marvels in the history of bridge construction in India, and it took INR 25 million to get it constructed. A central span of 460 metres and a suspension span of 172 metres is what is retained on the Howrah Bridge.
Early Years and Inauguration of Howrah Bridge
A tram was the first vehicle to cross the Howrah Bridge, and back then, the traffic on the bridge came through trucks, trams, buses, cars, and two-wheelers. According to the census of 1946, more than 27,400 vehicles, 2997 cattle, and almost 121,100 pedestrians travelled through the bridge daily. And this number has outgrown over the course of time as per the report of 2007, which states that the number of vehicles crossing the Howrah Bridge is over 90,000.
In 1993, trams were prohibited from using the bridge because they could not take the escalating traffic and footfall. The Howrah Bridge has been tested with time, but the Kolkata Port Trust has put in great effort to maintain and safeguard the bridge from any damage caused due to weathering and corrosion.
Did you know that in 1965, the bridge was renamed after the Nobel Laureate and famous poet Rabindranath Tagore? The new name of Howrah Bridge was Rabindra Setu, but even in the present times, the bridge is famously addressed as Howrah Bridge.
Present Day Howrah Bridge Information
Today, Howrah Bridge is known as the pride of West Bengal and specifically of Kolkata. This bridge is also known as the gateway of Kolkata as it is the connecting route between the city and Howrah Railway junction. This is the connectivity of the Howrah Bridge. On the other end of the bridge, you witness a very colourful but chaotic situation of the Mullick Ghat Flower Market. In present times, over 100,000 vehicles and more than 150,000 pedestrians cross the bridge daily, making it one of the busiest cantilever bridges in the world. If you are near the Howrah Bridge location, you should surely visit it once. The Howrah Bridge night view is breathtaking as it gets lit up and makes you fall head over heels in love with this magnificent beauty.
Here’s What You can Explore While Being Around the Howrah Bridge
Enjoy a Long Walk on the Bridge
You can go for a long walk on this marvel and have the feel of the city and its people. The night is the perfect time to visit this place as, during the day, the bridge is full of vehicles bustling around the cities of Howrah and Kolkata. Because the bridge has a pavement for pedestrians, you will not face any difficulty in taking a walk, and if photography is your interest, this bridge makes a perfect spot for street photography.
The Beauty of Mullick Ghat Flower Market
Mullick Ghat Flower Market is the largest flower market in Asia, located on the east end of Howrah. It is the makeshift shacks that carry this flower business, and it begins at 3 am in the morning, making it one of India’s busiest flower markets. You would surely be amazed by the beauty and fragrances of flowers around you. And you will also spot many photographers in the market because it serves to be a delight for them.
How about a Cruise on the Ganges?
You get multiple options of cruises on the Ganges like the breakfast cruise, lunch cruise, evening cruise, dinner cruise, and each of them is 3 hours long.
Visit the Sundarban National Park
In the Bay of Bengal Region, Sundarban National Park is the biggest delta region and a single block of the mangrove forest. The forest is located at the confluence of Meghana, Brahmputra, and Ganges River, and it gets its name from the Sundari trees, which can be found in abundance in the area. Also, this park houses the Royal Bengal Tiger and is declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO. You can go for a day cruise to Sundarban, which begins from Godkhali Jetty.
Experience the Tranquillity of Magen David Synagogue
This synagogue is located 1.6 km from the Howrah Bridge and is at the junction of Canning Street and Brabourne Road, and the premises of this synagogue also have Kolkata’s oldest synagogue, Neveh Shalom Synagogue. It was constructed by Elias David Ezra in the loving memory of his father in Italian Renaissance architecture.
Howrah Bridge Timings
The Bridge remains open to the public throughout the day. Only if there is any construction going on you will experience the hindrance in travelling.
If you happen to be in the city of Kolkata, a visit to Howrah Bridge will be your favourite memory and experience. Indeed one should not leave the chance to witness such a marvel.
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FAQs
Which type of bridge is Howrah Bridge?
Howrah Bridge is a cantilever bridge.
Why is Howrah Bridge famous?
It is famous because the construction was solely done by riveting the steel in the proposed structure.
How old is Howrah Bridge?
Howrah Bridge is 79 years old.
Can Howrah Bridge be opened from the middle?
Initially, it could be opened but not presently.
How long is the Howrah bridge?
Howrah Bridge is 705 meters long.
