[BITList] Howrah Bridge celebrates 75th anniversary

[John Feltham]

A very interesting article - my brother and I must have crossed over it many times.


From a correspondent…






 "it was found that spitting of tobacco had reduced the thickness of the steel hoods protecting the pillar from six mm to three mm."




Spine of steel: Howrah Bridge celebrates 75th anniversary
 <http://www.thehindu.com/profile/author/Shiv-Sahay-Singh-247/>Shiv Sahay Singh <http://www.thehindu.com/profile/author/Shiv-Sahay-Singh-247/>KOLKATA , FEBRUARY 07, 2018 22:06 IST  
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Shining in the night: The Howrah Bridge is lit up to mark its 75th anniversary.   | Photo Credit: Debasish Bhaduri <http://www.thehindu.com/profile/photographers/Debasish-Bhaduri/>
Kolkata Port Trust has many plans for the iconic structure, which has survived the Second World War, a few technical glitches and corrosion from tobacco stains

On the night of February 3, 1943, the inauguration of the Howrah bridge took place without any fanfare when a lone tramcar rolled down from the Kolkata <http://www.thehindu.com/tag/240-235-81/kolkata/?utm=bodytag>city end to the Howrah Railway station end .
The fear of Japanese bombing during the raging Second World War loomed large over the Howrah Bridge as the city had been bombed in December of 1942. One of the bombs, which missed the shinning steel structure, can still be found at the Kolkata Police Museum at Manicktala.
With the engineering marvel turning 75 this year, the Kolkata Port Trust (KPT) has a number of plans to celebrate the iconic structure. One of the projects envisages a shelter for lakhs of pedestrians who cross the bridge on foot everyday.
KPT Chairman Vinit Kumar told The Hindu that the shed, which would shelter pedestrians from rain and scorching heat, would have be carefully built to augment the existing heritage structure and not turn an eyesore.
Pedestrian shelter

“We are engaging professional architects to come up with a plan,” Mr. Kumar said, adding that about 5 lakh pedestrian cross the bridge daily.
Another plan is to provide special lighting. “Not only would it help us to highlight the structure of the bridge, but combination LEDs would also provide an opportunity to highlight national festivals and social causes,” Mr. Kumar said.
The KPT’s responsibility for maintenance of the gigantic steel structure has an interesting story. Bridges across India are usually maintained by the Public works Department of the State and Central governments.
In 1870, the affairs of the Port were brought under the administrative control of the Government with the appointment of a Port Commission. Before the Howrah Bridge, there was a Pontoon Bridge that connected the banks of river Hooghly.
The Pontoon Bridge was constructed by Sir Bradford Leslie in 1874, after the Government of Bengal passed the Howrah Bridge Act in 1871. The Pontoon Bridge had to be opened to allow vessels to pass and the Port Commissioners were also appointed Bridge Commissioners.
 <http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/kolkata/75th-anniversary-of-howrah-bridge/article22681904.ece>The shining steel structure in 1955. <http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/kolkata/75th-anniversary-of-howrah-bridge/article22681904.ece>Long journey: The Pontoon Bridge predating the Howrah Bridge. <http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/kolkata/75th-anniversary-of-howrah-bridge/article22681904.ece>Workers at the construction site in 1936. <http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/kolkata/75th-anniversary-of-howrah-bridge/article22681904.ece>A view of the bridge under construction in 1941. <http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/kolkata/75th-anniversary-of-howrah-bridge/article22681904.ece>The shining steel structure in 1955. <http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/kolkata/75th-anniversary-of-howrah-bridge/article22681904.ece>Long journey: The Pontoon Bridge predating the Howrah Bridge.
 
The KPT chairman, describing the Howrah Bridge as the “greatest structural icons of the city”, said that global tenders were issued for construction of the bridge and even at the height of war, a German company made a bid.
The details of the bidding can be found in a coffee-table book — titled HowrahBridge, An Icon in Steel — published by Tata Steel. “Krupp’s from Germany was, as expected ,the most competitive and should have got the contract but the British were already suspicious of Germany and thought the better of giving the contract to a German firm...,” the publication points out.
Cleveland Bridge and Engineering Co Ltd got the contract and agreed to purchase structural steel work in India. It was then that Tata Steel came into the picture.
“The construction of this marvel consumed 26,500 tons of steel, out of which 23,500 tons of high tensile alloy steel, known as Tiscron, were supplied by Tata Steel,” Mr. Kumar said.
The Howrah Bridge is a suspension type balanced cantilever bridge with the central span between the two main towers of the bridge measuring about 1500 ft, while each of the anchor arms measure about 325 feet and the cantilever arms about 468 ft each. The enormity of the structure can be gauged by the fact that 26,500 litres of aluminium paint was required to paint the bridge in 2005.
Some mishaps

Though the bridge has remained in shape for over seven decades, it has had its share of accidents and technical glitches. In 2005, a private cargo vessel MV Mani, belonging to the Ganges Water Transport Pvt Ltd had its funnel struck underneath the bridge for three hours while trying to cross the bridge during high tide. About 350 metres of the 700 metres of track were twisted beyond repair and 40 cross girders broken. The damage was so severe that KPT sought help from Rendel, Palmer & Tritton Limited, the original consultant on the bridge from U.K.
In 2011, the KPT had to deal with another peculiar problem when, during a technical inspection, it was found that spitting of tobacco had reduced the thickness of the steel hoods protecting the pillar from six mm to three mm. The KPT had to spend ₹2 million on covering the steel pillars with fibreglass casing.
“Ideally the structure should have a life for 100-150 years. But in the past 75 years, the number and weight of vehicles have increased manifold. So it is better to get it checked. We will soon engage structural experts from one of the IITs to assess the bridge,” Mr. Kumar said.


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