Kolkata, Dec 8 (UNI) The port authority, authorised to maintain the iconic Howrah Bridge- an engineering marvel of the British era—is expected to receive a comprehensive health study report
for ensuring its long-term durability and safety of the 81-year-old bridge, linking this over 300 years old city with the rest of the world by surface transport.
The Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, formerly Calcutta Port Trust, and RITES under the Indian Railways ministry have hired M/S RENDEL (formerly M/S. Rendel, Palmer & Triton, UK) to undertake a study and provide a comprehensive report as how to ensure to maintain proper health and its durability so that such architectural grandeur is protected.
Experts from RENDEL have been inspecting the Howrah Bridge’s entire stretch, which is exactly 468-foot connecting this city with the main railways network of Howrah district in the west.
The whole steel construction of the Howrah Bridge, now called Rabindra Setu, was built using rivets instead of nuts and bolts. This iconic feature makes it stand out from every other bridge in the country.
The wonder of the country was designed by the creative minds of two men, Walton of M/s Rendel, Palmer & Triton. Additionally, The Braithwaite Burn and Jessop Construction Limited Company led to the plan behind the making of the Bridge. This stunning building’s construction began in 1936. and finished in 1942. It was inaugurated on February 3rd, 1943.
Experts from M/s RENDEL, London, Michael J. King, senior consultant and Omar Nabeel, Bridges Team leader and Assistant Technical Director, representatives of M/s RITES along with chief engineer, SMP, Kolkata,discussed the matter with SMP chairman Rathendra Raman about the progress of the Setu’s health check-up.
During the meeting, the team outlined their findings from the ongoing inspection and shared insights into the bridge’s structural condition.
The final condition assessment report, vetted by M/s Rendel, is expected to be submitted by the first quarter of 2025. Based on this report, M/s RITES will also propose comprehensive repair and rehabilitation schemes aimed at strengthening the bridge and ensuring its long-term durability.
M/s. RITES, a Government of India undertaking under the Ministry of Railways, has already commenced the work on the project since February 2023 and is progressing steadily, with the first phase nearing completion, port spokesman Sanjay Mukherjee said.
The Howrah Bridge is one such architectural grandeur that is the pride World War II. Its construction was first suggested in 1862. According to the Bengali government, the idea behind creating the bridge was to cross the Hooghly River. They invited the East India Railway Company’s Chief Engineer to research the idea’s viability and developed a proposal. But his suggestion was never implemented for a number of reasons.
The Howrah Bridge is regarded as the busiest cantilever bridge in the entire world. Every day, it can accommodate more than 150,000 pedestrians and roughly 100,000 automobiles.
