Ellis Bridge
Ellis Bridge | |
---|---|
Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation | |
Heritage status | Protected site since 1989 |
Preceded by | Nehru bridge |
Followed by | Sardar bridge |
Characteristics | |
Design | Bowstring arch truss bridge |
Material | Steel, cum Cement, Alloy |
Total length | 480 metres (1,570 ft) |
Width | 6.3 metres (21 ft) |
No. of spans | 14 |
Piers in water | 28 |
Load limit | 1196 tonnes |
History | |
Constructed by | Himmatlal Dhirajram Bhachech |
Construction start | 1889 |
Construction end | 1892 |
Construction cost | Rs 407564 |
Opened | 1892 |
Collapsed | Wooden bridge (1870–1875) |
Closed | 1997 |
Replaced | Concrete bridge (1999-present) |
Location | |
The Ellis Bridge is a century-old bridge in
History
The original wooden bridge was constructed by British engineers in 1870–1871 at a cost of £54,920 (Rs. 5,49,200). Except for two spans on banks, it was destroyed by floods in 1875.[2] A steel bridge was built in 1892 by engineer Himmatlal Dhirajram Bhachech and named after Sir Barrow Helbert Ellis, the commissioner of the North Zone. The steel was imported from Birmingham. Himmatlal built it at a cost of Rs 407,000 which was lower than the budget of Rs 500,000. The government grew suspicious and thought that low quality materials were used by Himmatlal. An inquiry committee was set up and found that the construction was of superior quality. For saving government money, Himmatlal was subsequently honoured with the title of Rao Sahib.[3][4]
The foundation block of the Ellis bridge was later moved to the
Thousands heard Mahatma Gandhi declaring his Dandi march on 8 March 1930 from the Ellis bridge.[5]
Proposals to pull down the bridge were made in 1973, 1983 and 1986 but were rejected. The
The original steel bridge was narrow and not suited for heavy motorized traffic and so it was closed in 1997. New concrete bridges were constructed on either side of the steel bridge to support heavy traffic in 1999 at cost of ₹18 crore (equivalent to ₹77 crore or US$9.7 million in 2023), and the original steel bridge is preserved as a heritage landmark. After the documentation, the Manek Burj was partially removed and Ganesh Bari, the Maratha constructed gate, was reconstructed to make space for the bridge. The bridge has been renamed Swami Vivekananda bridge after
Reconstruction and redevelopment proposals
It was found that steel piers of the bridge became corroded due to pollution in the Sabarmati river. Consultants appointed for strengthening the bridge, proposed its demolition in 2012 since building a new bridge would be cheaper than strengthening the existing one. It was also planned to run the
In 2020, the
Cultural significance
This 120-year-old bridge has become an landmark and a symbol of Ahmedabad.[3][5] It was featured in several films, such as Kai Po Che! (2013) and Kevi Rite Jaish (2012). The Karnavati Art Gallery is at the western end of the bridge.
References
- ^ Tewari, Ankur (11 May 2014). "Road ahead: Names that fly over Ahmedabad". The Times of India. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
- ^ Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency: Ahmedabad. Government Central Press. 1879. p. 327.
- ^ Ahmedabad Mirror. 4 February 2010. Archived from the originalon 3 November 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
- ^ "On heritage day eve, Ahmedabad burns its bridge with Gandhi". The Times of India. 18 April 2012. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
- ^ a b c John, Paul (17 April 2012). "Ellisbridge may go Hope Bridge way". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
- ^ a b John, Paul (2 September 2011). "Hope lies in Ellisbridge". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
- ^ Shastri, Parth (27 February 2011). "Ahmedabad says abracadabra". Times of India Publications. Archived from the original on 8 January 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
- ^ Paul John (20 April 2010). "Ellisbridge to go & come back as BRTS route". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 11 August 2011.
- ^ "No plan to demolish Ellisbridge: AMC". Daily News and Analysis. 18 April 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
- ^ "Old Ellisbridge to make way for new one". Daily News and Analysis. 23 April 2013. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
- ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
- ^ "AMC to upgrade integrity of historical Ellis Bridge". Ahmedabad Mirror. Retrieved 5 August 2023.