These Quirky Facts About Howrah Bridge
The moment you mention traveling to Kolkata, the first recommendation you receive is to see the Howrah Bridge. And of course, no one travels to Kolkata and does not visit the Victoria Memorial.
This Steel Cantilever bridge spanning over the river Hoogly has stood tall for the past 66 years and can be rightly considered an emblem of the city of Kolkata!
And why not? After all, there are some amazing quirky facts about Howrah Bridge that I would like to share with you.
Quirky Facts About Howrah Bridge
Did you know that this bridge does not make use of a single nut or bolt?
It is only made by riveting the steel without using any nuts and bolts in the construction.
This bridge is 6th largest Cantilever bridge of its kind among the world’s Top 10 Cantilever bridges
The bridge is one of the busiest in the world carrying about 150,000 vehicles and 4,00,000 pedestrians daily.
The very first vehicle to ride on the bridge was a solitary tram.
However, There Are Exceptions To This Rule!
The trams, goods vehicles, and trucks were stopped from taking the bridge to reduce the weight load. That was because the bridge has a capacity of taking the load of 60,000 tons but with the heavy vehicles, the load extends to 90,000 tons. At night, only 3-wheelers and Goods vehicles are allowed on the bridge.
It took 6 years for the construction of the bridge, from 1936 to 1942. It was opened for the commute on 3rd Feb 1943.
And on 14th June 1965, the bridge was re-christened as Rabindra Setu after the Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.
The bridge consumed about 26,500 tons of steel sponsored by Tata Steel.
The bridge is 705 meters in length, 97 feet in width, 82 meters in height. It has two 15-foot footpaths on either side.
Lastly, it joins the Howrah city and the twin city Kolkata.
Owing to its mystical glory, the bridge feigned the interest of a lot of Bollywood people. So, a lot of movies like Barfi, Gunday, etc have been shot on this bridge.
So there’s all you outta know about this beautifully built bridge spanning across the splendid river. Plus, the quirky facts about Howrah Bridge are sure to amuse you. And the next time when you drive down this gem of Kolkata, or you see it all lit up in its full-fledged glory, you may feel a connection with it!