Old Godavari Bridge

Old Godavari Bridge
Carries	Railway Line (now not in use)
Crosses	Godavari River
Locale	Rajahmundry
Design	Truss Bridge
Total length	2.7 kilometres (1.7 mi)

The Old Godavari Bridge or the Havelock Bridge was built in 1900 by Sir Arthur Cotton. Now decommissioned, it has 56 spans and is 2754 m long. It was constructed with stone masonry and steel girders, and was certainly a marvel of British engineering. The Godavari Arch Bridge was later constructed as a replacement for the Havelock Bridge.

History

At that time, East Godavari and West Godavari were linked only by boat. Problems started as the population increased. To resolve these problems, Sir Arthur Cotton built a rail bridge. The rail bridge served the busy Howrah-Chennai line until its decommissioning.

Retirement

As the railways reached faster speeds, the government finally decided to decommission the Havelock Bridge. The bridge was still fit for use, but it may cause problems in the future. The bridge was declared a national monument.

The Bridge Today

The bridge now is being used to host civic water supply pipelines.

Future

It is proposed that the bridge to be converted into a civic evening rest pace for walking and resting. The design is still to be approved. Many people oppose to this proposal.