Koilwar bridge
Encyclopedia
Koilwar Bridge, now named Abdul Bari Bridge, at Koilwar
spans the River Sone
. The bridge has been named after Professor Abdul Bari
.
The Koilwar Bridge (known as Sone Bridge when it was built) is amongst the older of the longer bridges in this subcontinent. Although construction started in 1856, it was disrupted by uprisings in 1857 and completed in 1862. It was inaugurated by the Viceroy Lord Elgin
, who said, “... this magnificent bridge was exceeded in magnitude by only one bridge in the world”. The 4726 feet (1,440.5 m) bridge was designed by James Meadows Rendell and Sir Matthew Digby Wyatt. It remained the longest bridge in the Indian subcontinent till was overtaken by the Upper Sone Bridge
in 1900.
The steel
rail-road bridge is shown in the film Gandhi
. A two lane road (NH 30
) runs just under the double rail tracks. Sand mining near the pillars of this old bridge has created structural problems recently.
, Chief Engineer of the East Indian Railway Company
: he determined that the river then was 5350 feet across—the completed bridge in 1862 was 5280 feet across. He settled on the site near Pures "where the banks are well defined, and the channel had evidently for ages been confined within certain limits, proved by the existence of old Hindoo temples, far before the Mohammaden works at Muneer, built about 200 years [before 1851]."
By November 1859, both abutments and 16 of the 26 piers were being built and the well-sinking for the remaining piers progressing. By 21 December 1860, three of the iron spans were in place; 4572 tons of the estimated 5683 final tons of iron-work for the bridge had arrived from England.
George Turnbull inspected the bridge and judged it complete on 4 November 1862. On 11, 12 and 13 December 1862, "a set of experiments with couple engines, testing the Keeul, Hullohur and Soane bridges, with an assembly of Government engineers, and our railing engineers; all very satisfactory." On 5 February 1863, a special train from Howrah
took Turnbull, the Viceroy
Lord Elgin, Lt Governor Sir Cecil Beadon and others over two days to Benares: they alighted at the bridge and inspected it. In Benares there was a durbar on 7 February to celebrate the building of the railway and particularly the bridging of the Sone, the largest tributary of the Ganges.
, parallel to the existing rail and road Koilwar Bridge, has been planned.
Koilwar
Koilwar is a notified area in Bhojpur district in the Indian state of Bihar.-Geography:Koilwar is located at . It has an average elevation of .-Koilwar bridge:...
spans the River Sone
Son River
Son River of central India is the largest of the Ganges' southern tributaries. A British 1850s diary shows that the river was written in English as Soane.-Course:...
. The bridge has been named after Professor Abdul Bari
Professor Abdul Bari
Abdul Bari was an Indian academic and social reformer. He was born in 1892 in Sahabad, Village Kansua of Jahanabad District in Bihar. He graduated in 1918 and later engaged in post-graduate studies in History in 1920 at Patna University...
.
The Koilwar Bridge (known as Sone Bridge when it was built) is amongst the older of the longer bridges in this subcontinent. Although construction started in 1856, it was disrupted by uprisings in 1857 and completed in 1862. It was inaugurated by the Viceroy Lord Elgin
James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin
Sir James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin and 12th Earl of Kincardine, KT, GCB, PC , was a British colonial administrator and diplomat...
, who said, “... this magnificent bridge was exceeded in magnitude by only one bridge in the world”. The 4726 feet (1,440.5 m) bridge was designed by James Meadows Rendell and Sir Matthew Digby Wyatt. It remained the longest bridge in the Indian subcontinent till was overtaken by the Upper Sone Bridge
Nehru Setu
Nehru Setu , across the Son River, between Dehri-on-Son and Son Nagar, in Bihar, is the second longest railway bridge in India, after Vembanad Rail Bridge in Kerala...
in 1900.
The steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
rail-road bridge is shown in the film Gandhi
Gandhi (film)
Gandhi is a 1982 biographical film based on the life of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who led the nonviolent resistance movement against British colonial rule in India during the first half of the 20th century. The film was directed by Richard Attenborough and stars Ben Kingsley as Gandhi. They both...
. A two lane road (NH 30
National Highway 30 (India)
National Highway 30 is a National Highway entirely within the state of Bihar, India that links NH 2 to NH 19. This long stretch passes through Mohania, Kochas, Dinara, Bikramganj, Arrah, Koilwar,, Maner, Maner Sharif, Danapur, Patna, Fatuha and Bakhtiarpur in Bihar.- See also :* List of National...
) runs just under the double rail tracks. Sand mining near the pillars of this old bridge has created structural problems recently.
History
An initial survey of the bridge site was made on 17 February 1851 by George TurnbullGeorge Turnbull (civil engineer)
George Turnbull was the Chief Engineer responsible for construction from 1851 to 1863 of the first railway line from Calcutta : the 541-mile line to Benares en route to Delhi...
, Chief Engineer of the East Indian Railway Company
East Indian Railway Company
The East Indian Railway Company, later known as the East Indian Railway , introduced railways to eastern and northern India, while the Companies such as the Great Indian Peninsular Railway, South Indian Railway, Central India Railway and the North-Western Railway operated in other parts of India...
: he determined that the river then was 5350 feet across—the completed bridge in 1862 was 5280 feet across. He settled on the site near Pures "where the banks are well defined, and the channel had evidently for ages been confined within certain limits, proved by the existence of old Hindoo temples, far before the Mohammaden works at Muneer, built about 200 years [before 1851]."
By November 1859, both abutments and 16 of the 26 piers were being built and the well-sinking for the remaining piers progressing. By 21 December 1860, three of the iron spans were in place; 4572 tons of the estimated 5683 final tons of iron-work for the bridge had arrived from England.
George Turnbull inspected the bridge and judged it complete on 4 November 1862. On 11, 12 and 13 December 1862, "a set of experiments with couple engines, testing the Keeul, Hullohur and Soane bridges, with an assembly of Government engineers, and our railing engineers; all very satisfactory." On 5 February 1863, a special train from Howrah
Howrah station
Howrah Station is one of the four intercity train stations serving Howrah and Kolkata, India; the others are Sealdah Station, Shalimar Station and Kolkata railway station in Kolkata. Howrah is situated on the West bank of the Hooghly River, linked to Kolkata by the magnificent Howrah Bridge which...
took Turnbull, the Viceroy
Viceroy
A viceroy is a royal official who runs a country, colony, or province in the name of and as representative of the monarch. The term derives from the Latin prefix vice-, meaning "in the place of" and the French word roi, meaning king. A viceroy's province or larger territory is called a viceroyalty...
Lord Elgin, Lt Governor Sir Cecil Beadon and others over two days to Benares: they alighted at the bridge and inspected it. In Benares there was a durbar on 7 February to celebrate the building of the railway and particularly the bridging of the Sone, the largest tributary of the Ganges.
New bridge
A four-lane road bridge, carrying NH 30National Highway 30 (India)
National Highway 30 is a National Highway entirely within the state of Bihar, India that links NH 2 to NH 19. This long stretch passes through Mohania, Kochas, Dinara, Bikramganj, Arrah, Koilwar,, Maner, Maner Sharif, Danapur, Patna, Fatuha and Bakhtiarpur in Bihar.- See also :* List of National...
, parallel to the existing rail and road Koilwar Bridge, has been planned.
See also
- List of longest bridges in the world
- List of longest bridges above water in India