History of Howrah Bridge
Howrah Bridge is one of the best landmarks in Kolkata. The bridge, which crosses the Hooghly River and connects the neighbouring industrial city of Howrah to Kolkata, will celebrate its 75th birthday next year.
The constructions of the Howrah Bridge were first proposed in 1862. The Bengal government wanted to build a bridge on the Hooghly River. They asked the chief engineer of the East India Railway Company to study the feasibility of the idea and submit a proposal. But for some reason, his proposal never came true.
In the late 1800s, the Pontoon Bridge or Floating Bridge was built between Howrah Bridge and Kolkata. But it wasn’t healthy to handle the traffic between the two cities or to clear the frequent storms. There, the Bengal government continued to look for alternatives, and decades later, a new bridge was finally inaugurated. The Howrah Bridge was constructed without nuts and bolts and formed by riveting the entire steel structure. The bridge was officially opened in 1943 and was the third-longest cantilever bridge in the world.
The Howrah Bridge is also considered to be the busiest Cantilever Bridge in the world. It handles approximately 100,000 vehicles and over 150,000 pedestrians daily. Howrah Bridge is one of the city’s most notable attractions, but Howrah Junction Station is at the end of Howrah and is the oldest railway station. On the edge of Calcutta, the bridge ends at the charming and colorful Mallick Ghat Flower Market, one of the city’s liveliest markets.
Howler Bridge across the holy river
Kolkata, a commercial city in eastern India that is often called Kolkata recently, is one of Asia’s megacities with an urban population of 13 million and is the gateway to India’s east. Calcutta is a city that developed along the Hoogly River, which branches off from the sacred river Ganges. The Howrah Bridge connects Calcutta with the Howrah district on the opposite bank.
The Howler Bridge is a type of steel bridge called the cantilever system. The bridge’s length is 655.94m, and the total length is 705m, including the access road. The road’s width is about 22m, the sidewalks on both sides are about 5m, and the total width is about 32m.
When the bridge opened in 1943, it was called the New Howler Bridge instead of the old floating bridge. The Howler Bridge is a common name when it is called in English. At the time of opening, there is a tram, and at that time, the Howrah Bridge is the largest bridges in the world with an inner diameter of 457.5 m, the largest in Asia. It was a bridge that boasts a long distance.
Companies worldwide applied for bids for the construction of the Howrah bridge, and the German company with the lowest price has initially been planned to receive orders. Still, in 1935 when the disturbing air began to wrap up the world, this German company The contract was canceled, and the Indian company Braithwaite Burn and Jessop Construction Company Limited finally bid.