Ellis Bridge
| Ellis Bridge | |
|---|---|
View of old bridge from the new extension bridge
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| Coordinates | 23°01′20″N 72°34′31″E / 23.02222°N 72.57528°ECoordinates: 23°01′20″N 72°34′31″E / 23.02222°N 72.57528°E |
| Carries | Road traffic |
| Crosses | Sabarmati River |
| Locale | Ellis Bridge area, Ahmedabad |
| Official name | Swami Vivekananda Bridge |
| Named for | Sir Barrow Helbert Ellis |
| Maintained by | 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, 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 begin | 1889 |
| Construction end | 1892 |
| Construction cost | Rs 407564 |
| Opened | 1892 |
| Collapsed | Wooden bridge (1870-1875) |
| Closed | 1997 |
| Replaces | Concrete bridge (1999-present) |
Ellis Bridge is a century old bridge situated in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. It bridges the western and eastern parts of the city across the Sabarmati river. This bowstring arch truss bridge was the first bridge of Ahmedabad constructed in 1892. Later new concrete wings were constructed on either side in 1997 and it was renamed as Swami Vivekananda Bridge but is still known to people by its old name.
The original wooden bridge was constructed by British engineers in 1870–71 at a cost of £54,920 (Rs. 5,49,200). Except two spans on banks, It was destroyed by floods in 1875. A new steel bridge was rebuilt 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 it found that the construction was of superior quality. For saving the Government money, Himmatlal was subsequently honoured with title of Rao Sahib.
The Foundation Block of Ellisbridge was later moved to the Sanskar Kendra. It reads, The Ellis Bridge - So named by Government after Sir Barrow Helbert Ellis : K.G.S.I. was built in 1869 and 1870. At a cost of Rs:549,210 destroyed by the great flood of 22 September 1875 and rebuilt in 1890 and 1895 by Government, Local Bodies and Private Subscribers. At a further cost of Rs. 407,564. This the First Stone of the new bridge was laid by His Excellency Donald James eleventh Lord Reay C.C.I.E.LL.D. Governor of Bombay 19 December 1889.
Thousands heard Mahatma Gandhi declaring his Dandi march on 8 March 1930 from Ellis bridge.
Proposals were made to pull down the bridge in 1973, 1983 and 1986 but all were rejected. Later Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) declared Ellis bridge and its boundary, Manek Burj and the natural water drain near one of the banks of Sabarmati river as protected sites in May 1989.
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Wikipedia