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The Old Godavari Bridge (also known as The Havelock Bridge) is a decommissioned bridge that spans the Godavari River in Andhra Pradesh, India. Commissioned in 1900, the bridge served trains plying between Howrah and Madras.[citation needed] It is the earliest of three bridges that span the Godavari River at Rajahmundry. The Godavari Arch Bridge was later constructed as a replacement for the Havelock Bridge.[1] The bridge along with the Godavari bridge and Godavari Arch Bridge is one of the most recognised symbols of Kovvur and Rajahmundry of the state of Andhra Pradesh.
Old Godavari Bridge | |
|---|---|
 Havelock Bridge on the left and Godavari Arch Bridge on the right. | |
| Coordinates | 17°00′26.6″N 81°45′21″E |
| Carries | Railway Line |
| Crosses | Godavari River |
| Locale | Rajahmundry, India |
| Official name | The Havelock Bridge |
| Other name(s) | Old Godavari Bridge |
| Followed by | Godavari Arch Bridge |
| Characteristics | |
| Total length | 2.7 kilometres (1.7 mi) |
| Design life | 100 years |
| History | |
| Construction start | 11 November 1897 |
| Opened | 30 August 1900 |
| Closed | 1997 |
| Location | |
 | |
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The construction of the bridge commenced on 11 November 1897 and opened for traffic on 30 August 1900. The Bridge was named after Sir Arthur Elibank Havelock, the then Governor of Madras. Frederick Thomas Granville Walton served as the Engineer-in-chief assisted by executive engineers R.A.Delanougerede, F.D.Couchman, J.E.Eaglesome.[2]
The bridge was constructed with stone masonry and steel girders. It has 56 spans each of 45.7 metres (150 ft)and is 3,480 metres (11,420 ft) long. The girders were fabricated by Butterley Company of Ripley, Derbyshire.[3] The rail bridge served the busy Howrah-Chennai line until its decommissioning.
Having served its full life span of 100 years, it was decommissioned in 1997, and Godavari Arch Bridge was built as a replacement for the bridge. Today, the bridge is being used to host civic water supply pipelines.
Havelock bridge at night(arch bridge visible)
Havelock bridge view
Rajahmundry end point of Havelock Bridge
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After being planned to be converted into a national monument,[4] historic monument[5] now its finally planned to be converted into a tourist spot,[6] as a pedestrian pathway. In 2008 the Municipal Corporation of Rajahmundry passed a resolution expressing willingness to take up the beautification project.[7] With the Railways Ministry not coming forward for implementation of the project, Former Member of Parliament Vundavalli Aruna Kumar has appealed to the Railways Ministry for the approval of the project.[8][9] As of 2017[update] the project was still awaiting funds to commence.[10]
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