Godavari Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Kovvur-Rajahmundry Bridge or simply, the Godavari Bridge is a Truss Bridge crossing the river Godavari in Rajahmundry
, India
. It is Asia
's second longest road-cum-rail bridge crossing a water body, after Japan
's Kansai International Airport
Sky Gate Bridge.
of India. This bridge links East and West Godavari districts of state Andhra Pradesh
.
-Howrah railway line was single track until the 1960s when the government planned to double the track to relieve railway loads and the increase in passenger counts. Most of the route had been doubled except for the Vijayawada
- Visakhapatnam
sector where a bridge about 3 km long was required to lay the double track over the Godavari River near Rajahmundry
. In 1964, the construction of the second bridge was sanctioned by the government. There was also a demand from the public to construct a road link from Rajahmundry to Kovvur
. Thus, the government agreed to sanction the construction of a road -cum- rail bridge. The bridge was completed by the mid 1970s. This completed the double track railway. The bridge served the railways along with the Old Godavari Bridge
until 1997, when the Old Godavari Bridge was retired and was replaced by the Godavari Arch Bridge
The bridge has a road deck over the single track
rail deck, similar to the Grafton Bridge
in New South Wales, Australia.
Rajahmundry
Rajahmundry is a city and municipal corporation of the Andhra Pradesh state in India. It is located east of the state capital, Hyderabad, on the banks of the River Godavari. Known as the Cultural Capital, Rajahmundry is noted for its intense Veda culture and intellect...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It is Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
's second longest road-cum-rail bridge crossing a water body, after Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
's Kansai International Airport
Kansai International Airport
is an international airport located on an artificial island in the middle of Osaka Bay, southwest of Ōsaka Station, located within three municipalities, including Izumisano , Sennan , and Tajiri , in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. The airport is off the Honshu shore. The airport serves as an...
Sky Gate Bridge.
Overview
Constructed over a quarter of a century ago in the 1970s, this bridge is a modern day engineering feat. The bridge was constructed by Bharat Bhari Udyog Nigam Limited. The bridge is fit for 120 km/h (74.6 mph) rail services. It was commissioned by South Central RailwaySouth Central Railway
The South Central Railway is one of the 16 railway zones in India. It is headquartered at Secunderabad and has the following divisions:# Secunderabad# Hyderabad# Guntakal # Vijayawada# Guntur# Nanded...
of India. This bridge links East and West Godavari districts of state Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
.
Construction
The ChennaiChennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
-Howrah railway line was single track until the 1960s when the government planned to double the track to relieve railway loads and the increase in passenger counts. Most of the route had been doubled except for the Vijayawada
Vijayawada
Vijayawada is the third largest city in Andhra Pradesh, India, located on the banks of the Krishna River and bounded by the Indrakiladri Hills on the West and the Budameru River on the North. The city is located in the Krishna District, about from the state capital Hyderabad.Vijayawada literally...
- Visakhapatnam
Visakhapatnam
Visakhapatnam is a major sea port on the south east coast of India. With a population of approximately 1.7 million, it is the second largest city in the state of Andhra Pradesh and the third largest city on the east coast of India after Kolkata and Chennai. According to the history, the city was...
sector where a bridge about 3 km long was required to lay the double track over the Godavari River near Rajahmundry
Rajahmundry
Rajahmundry is a city and municipal corporation of the Andhra Pradesh state in India. It is located east of the state capital, Hyderabad, on the banks of the River Godavari. Known as the Cultural Capital, Rajahmundry is noted for its intense Veda culture and intellect...
. In 1964, the construction of the second bridge was sanctioned by the government. There was also a demand from the public to construct a road link from Rajahmundry to Kovvur
Kovvur
Kovvuru is a small town, municipality and mandal in West Godavari district, in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is situated adjacent to the west bank of the Godavari River.-Quick Facts:The name of Kovvuru was derived from Govu vooru...
. Thus, the government agreed to sanction the construction of a road -cum- rail bridge. The bridge was completed by the mid 1970s. This completed the double track railway. The bridge served the railways along with the Old Godavari Bridge
Old Godavari Bridge
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...
until 1997, when the Old Godavari Bridge was retired and was replaced by the Godavari Arch Bridge
Godavari Arch Bridge
The Godavari Arch Bridge also called the Kovvur-Rajahmundry Bridge, is a new bridge built across the Godavari River in Rajamundry in Andhra Pradesh, India and is the third bridge in the series of bridges that exist on the river in the state...
The bridge has a road deck over the single track
Single track (rail)
A single track railway is where trains in both directions share the same track. Single track is normally used on lesser used rail lines, often branch lines, where the traffic density is not high enough to justify the cost of building double tracks....
rail deck, similar to the Grafton Bridge
Grafton Bridge, New South Wales
Grafton Bridge is a bascule bridge which spans the Clarence River in Grafton in New South Wales, Australia. Its upper level supports a two way road for traffic, and its lower level supports a rail bridge, a water main, and two footbridges on either side. The bascule span was operational until 1969...
in New South Wales, Australia.
Old Godavari Bridge
The Old Godavari Bridge or the Havelock Bridge was built in 1900 by Sir Arthur Cotton, now decommissioned, this bridge has 56 spans and is 2754 m long. It was constructed with stone masonry and steel girders and certainly a marvel of British engineering. The New Godavari Bridge was made as a substitute for it.Godavari Arch Bridge
Godavari Arch Bridge is the newest bridge constructed among the three. Constructed by the Hindustan Construction Company (HCC), this bridge is a modern day engineering feat. The bridge is made of bow string girder arches. The bridge is fit for 350 km/h rail services. The bridge was opened for rail traffic in 2003.See also
- List of road-rail bridges
- List of longest bridges in the world
- List of longest bridges above water in India