#history
Howrah Bridge.
17 October 1874 is a day important in the history of India.
A Pontoon bridge was inaugurated to connect the city of Calcutta across the Hoogly ( Ganga) river.
However the rapid growth of Calcutta, which was the capital of British Imperial India, necessitated the construction of a new modern bridge.
Plans for the new bridge beginned in 1905.
In 1921, a committee of engineers named
” Mookherjee committee ” was formed. It was headed by Sir Rajendra Nath Mookherjee. After long discussions and investigations, the plans for the new bridge over the river Hoogli were finally approved.
The construction works were awarded to the Braithwaite, Burn & Co, and Jessop Construction Co. Supply of high tensile alloy steel required for the construction was awarded to the Tata Iron & Steel Company.
The work of the bridge foundations were completed in November, 1938. In 1940, the erection of the cantilevered arms commenced, and was completed by the middle of 1941.
The new bridge over the river Hoogli was named HOWRAH BRIDGE and was commissioned in 1943.
Howrah Bridge has remained the landmark of Calcutta ( now Kolkata) ever since.
A new Howrah Bridge named the Vidyasagar Sethu was completed in 1992 to handle the ever increasing traffic between the cities of Kolkata and Howrah.
