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{{short description| India's oldest operational River bridge}} | {{short description| India's oldest operational River bridge}} | ||
{{Distinguish|New Koilwar Bridge}} | |||
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}} | |||
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2024}} | |||
{{Infobox Bridge | {{Infobox Bridge | ||
|bridge_name = Koilwar Bridge | |bridge_name = Koilwar Bridge | ||
|native_name | |native_name = | ||
|image = Koilwarbridge.png | |image = Koilwarbridge.png | ||
|caption = A view of 'Koilwar bridge' | |caption = A view of 'Koilwar bridge' | ||
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|begin = 1856 | |begin = 1856 | ||
|complete = 1862 | |complete = 1862 | ||
|open = | |open = 4 November 1862 | ||
|closed = | |closed = | ||
|toll = | |toll = | ||
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}} | }} | ||
'''Koilwar Bridge''', (officially '''Abdul Bari Bridge''') at [[Koilwar]] in [[Bhojpur district, Bihar|Bhojpur]] spans the [[Son River| Sone]] river. This 1.44 km long, 2-lane | '''Koilwar Bridge''', (officially '''Abdul Bari Bridge''') at [[Koilwar]] in [[Bhojpur district, Bihar|Bhojpur]] spans the [[Son River|Sone]] river. This 1.44 km long, 2-lane, rail-cum-road bridge connects the city of [[Arrah]] with [[Patna]], the capital of [[Bihar]] state in India. The bridge is named after Indian academic and social reformer [[Professor Abdul Bari|Prof. Abdul Bari]], and is presently the oldest operational railway bridge in India, standing since 4 November 1862. It is shown in the 1982 Oscar award winning film [[Gandhi (film)|Gandhi]], directed by [[Richard Attenborough]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rediff.com/money/report/must-see-indias-oldest-railway-bridges/20170306.htm|title=The ancient heritage behind our railway bridges}}</ref> From 1862 to 1900, Koilwar Bridge remained as the [[List of longest bridges above water in India|longest river bridge]] in India. | ||
==About== | |||
[[File:TurnbullSonRiversurvey1851.jpg|thumb| | [[File:TurnbullSonRiversurvey1851.jpg|thumb|right|340px|A page from George Turnbull's 1851 notebook detailing his determining the approximate width of the mile-wide Sone River at the point where he decided that the bridge should be built. For the measurements he used his [[Hand compass|pocket compass]] and 22-yard [[Chain (unit)|chains]].<ref name=GTDiaries/>]] | ||
[[File:Turnbull journey to survey Sone River Bridge 1851.jpg|thumb| | [[File:Turnbull journey to survey Sone River Bridge 1851.jpg|thumb|left|420px|George Turnbull's 1851 diary of four of his 12-day overland journey from Calcutta (travelling by night) to Sone River, and his survey there.<ref name=GTDiaries>Diaries of [[George Turnbull (civil engineer)|George Turnbull]] (Chief Engineer, [[East Indian Railway Company]]) held at the Centre of South Asian Studies at [[Cambridge University]], England</ref>]] | ||
The steel [[lattice girder]]{{citation needed|reason=Looks like a Pratt truss, not a lattice girder|date=August 2017}} Koilwar Bridge (known as Sone Bridge when it was built) was the longest bridge in the subcontinent when built: construction started in 1856, disrupted by the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857|Revolt of 1857]], and completed in 1862. A 2-lane wide road ([[National Highway 922 (India)|Old NH 30]]) runs under the twin rail tracks. It connects [[Arrah]] on the west side to [[Bihta]], [[Danapur]] and [[Patna]] on the east side of Sone river. | The steel [[lattice girder]]{{citation needed|reason=Looks like a Pratt truss, not a lattice girder|date=August 2017}} Koilwar Bridge (known as Sone Bridge when it was built) was the longest bridge in the subcontinent when built: construction started in 1856, disrupted by the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857|Revolt of 1857]], and completed in 1862. A 2-lane-wide road ([[National Highway 922 (India)|Old NH 30]]) runs under the twin rail tracks. It connects [[Arrah]] on the west side to [[Bihta]], [[Danapur]] and [[Patna]] on the east side of Sone river. | ||
The Koilwar | The Koilwar Bridge was inaugurated by the then [[List of governors-general of India|Viceroy and Governor-General]] of India [[James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin|Lord Elgin]], who said, "... this magnificent bridge is exceeded in magnitude by only one bridge in the world". The bridge was designed by [[James Meadows Rendel (engineer)|James Meadows Rendel]] and [[Sir Matthew Digby Wyatt]]. It remained as the longest river bridge in the Indian subcontinent, till it was overtaken by the 3.05-km long [[Upper Sone Bridge]] (Nehru Setu) on 27 February 1900.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://irsme.nic.in/files/mmfiles/BRIDGES_RRB.pdf|title=Bridges: The Spectacular Feat of Indian Railways|publisher=National Informatics Centre|access-date=5 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305002840/http://irsme.nic.in/files/mmfiles/BRIDGES_RRB.pdf|archive-date=5 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://irse.bravehost.com/IRHTML.htm |title = Indian Railway History Timeline |access-date = 6 July 2011 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://archive.today/20120714085533/http://irse.bravehost.com/IRHTML.htm |archive-date = 14 July 2012 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> | ||
==History== | ==History== | ||
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George Turnbull inspected the bridge and judged it complete on 4 November 1862.<ref name=GTDiaries/><ref>''George Turnbull, C.E.'' Page 198 of the 437-page memoirs published privately 1893, scanned copy held in the British Library, London on compact disk since 2007</ref> 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." ''<ref name=GTDiaries/><ref>''George Turnbull, C.E.'' Page 199 of the 437-page memoirs published privately 1993, scanned copy held in the British Library, London on compact disk since 2007</ref> On 5 February 1863, a special train from [[Howrah station|Howrah]] took Turnbull, the [[Viceroy]] [[James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin|Lord Elgin]], Lt Governor [[Sir Cecil Beadon]] and others over two days to [[Benares]]: they alighted at the bridge and inspected it.<ref>Page 35 of ''History of the East Indian Railway'' by George Huddleston 1906.</ref> In Benares there was a [[Durbar (court)|durbar]] on 7 February to celebrate the building of the railway and particularly the bridging of the Sone, the largest tributary of the Ganges.<ref name=GTDiaries /> | George Turnbull inspected the bridge and judged it complete on 4 November 1862.<ref name=GTDiaries/><ref>''George Turnbull, C.E.'' Page 198 of the 437-page memoirs published privately 1893, scanned copy held in the British Library, London on compact disk since 2007</ref> 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." ''<ref name=GTDiaries/><ref>''George Turnbull, C.E.'' Page 199 of the 437-page memoirs published privately 1993, scanned copy held in the British Library, London on compact disk since 2007</ref> On 5 February 1863, a special train from [[Howrah station|Howrah]] took Turnbull, the [[Viceroy]] [[James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin|Lord Elgin]], Lt Governor [[Sir Cecil Beadon]] and others over two days to [[Benares]]: they alighted at the bridge and inspected it.<ref>Page 35 of ''History of the East Indian Railway'' by George Huddleston 1906.</ref> In Benares there was a [[Durbar (court)|durbar]] on 7 February to celebrate the building of the railway and particularly the bridging of the Sone, the largest tributary of the Ganges.<ref name=GTDiaries /> | ||
Sand erosion near the pillars of this old bridge has created structural problems recently.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iricen.gov.in/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=9158 |title=Koelwar Bridge, Bihar, India |access-date=2009 | Sand erosion near the pillars of this old bridge has created structural problems recently.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iricen.gov.in/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=9158 |title=Koelwar Bridge, Bihar, India |access-date=10 March 2009 |work=Bihar |publisher=indian railway |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100409094915/http://www.iricen.gov.in/modules.php?name=forums |archive-date=9 April 2010 }}</ref> | ||
==New Koilwar Bridge== | ==New Koilwar Bridge== | ||
A new 1.52 km long, 6-lane wide road bridge, parallel to the existing 2-lane wide Koilwar Bridge, has been inaugurated by Union Minister [[Nitin Gadkari]] on 10 December 2020.<ref>{{cite web |title=New Koilwar bridge to be named after Bihar mathematician: Nitin Gadkari |work=Dainik Jagran |url=https:// | A new 1.52 km long, 6-lane wide road bridge, parallel to the existing 2-lane wide Koilwar Bridge, has been inaugurated by Union Minister [[Nitin Gadkari]] on 10 December 2020.<ref>{{cite web |title=New Koilwar bridge to be named after Bihar mathematician: Nitin Gadkari |work=Dainik Jagran |url=https://www.jagran.com/bihar/patna-city-bihar-new-bridge-of-koilwar-to-be-named-after-mathematician-bashistha-narayan-singh-central-minister-nitin-gadkari-inaugurates-21152307.html}}</ref> [[New Koilwar Bridge]] or '''Vashishtha Narayan Setu''' is named after Indian mathematician and [[Padma Shri]] awardee [[Vashishtha Narayan Singh]].<ref>{{cite web |title= Nitin Gadkari opens 3 of 6 lanes of New Koilwar bridge|work=Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/gadkari-opens-three-of-six-new-koilwar-bridge-lanes/articleshow/79667235.cms}}</ref> | ||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
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==External links== | ==External links== | ||
{{external media | {{external media | ||
| | | float=right | ||
| video1=[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tt41Ao37DmE Koilwar river bridge.MOV] | | video1=[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tt41Ao37DmE Koilwar river bridge.MOV] | ||
| video2=[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKm2tMdkl2c Koilwar Pool Soan River Abdul Bar] | | video2=[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKm2tMdkl2c Koilwar Pool Soan River Abdul Bar] | ||
Latest revision as of 10:01, 5 February 2026
Koilwar Bridge | |
|---|---|
 A view of 'Koilwar bridge' | |
| Coordinates | 25°33′57″N 84°47′54″E / 25.5658°N 84.7982°E |
| OS grid reference | Template:Gbmappingsmall |
| Carries | New Delhi-Patna-Howrah railway line |
| Crosses | River Sone |
| Locale | Koilwar, Bhojpur, Bihar |
| Official name | Abdul Bari Bridge |
| Maintained by | Indian Railways (East-Central Railway Zone) |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Lattice girder |
| Material | Concrete & steel |
| Total length | 1,440 metres (4,720 ft) |
| No. of lanes | 2 |
| History | |
| Designer | George Turnbull |
| Construction start | 1856 |
| Construction end | 1862 |
| Opened | 4 November 1862 |
| Location | |
| Lua error in Module:Infobox_mapframe at line 197: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
Koilwar Bridge, (officially Abdul Bari Bridge) at Koilwar in Bhojpur spans the Sone river. This 1.44 km long, 2-lane, rail-cum-road bridge connects the city of Arrah with Patna, the capital of Bihar state in India. The bridge is named after Indian academic and social reformer Prof. Abdul Bari, and is presently the oldest operational railway bridge in India, standing since 4 November 1862. It is shown in the 1982 Oscar award winning film Gandhi, directed by Richard Attenborough.[1] From 1862 to 1900, Koilwar Bridge remained as the longest river bridge in India.
About[edit | edit source]
The steel lattice girder[citation needed] Koilwar Bridge (known as Sone Bridge when it was built) was the longest bridge in the subcontinent when built: construction started in 1856, disrupted by the Revolt of 1857, and completed in 1862. A 2-lane-wide road (Old NH 30) runs under the twin rail tracks. It connects Arrah on the west side to Bihta, Danapur and Patna on the east side of Sone river.
The Koilwar Bridge was inaugurated by the then Viceroy and Governor-General of India Lord Elgin, who said, "... this magnificent bridge is exceeded in magnitude by only one bridge in the world". The bridge was designed by James Meadows Rendel and Sir Matthew Digby Wyatt. It remained as the longest river bridge in the Indian subcontinent, till it was overtaken by the 3.05-km long Upper Sone Bridge (Nehru Setu) on 27 February 1900.[3][4]
History[edit | edit source]
An initial survey of the bridge site was made on 17 February 1851[5] by George Turnbull, Chief Engineer of the East Indian Railway Company: he determined that the river then was 5,350 feet (1,630 m) feet across — the completed bridge was 5,280 feet (1,610 m) 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]."[2]
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.[6]
George Turnbull inspected the bridge and judged it complete on 4 November 1862.[2][7] 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." [2][8] 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.[9] 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.[2]
Sand erosion near the pillars of this old bridge has created structural problems recently.[10]
New Koilwar Bridge[edit | edit source]
A new 1.52 km long, 6-lane wide road bridge, parallel to the existing 2-lane wide Koilwar Bridge, has been inaugurated by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on 10 December 2020.[11] New Koilwar Bridge or Vashishtha Narayan Setu is named after Indian mathematician and Padma Shri awardee Vashishtha Narayan Singh.[12]
See also[edit | edit source]
India portal- Digha–Sonpur Bridge
- Arrah-Chhapra Bridge
- New Koilwar Bridge
- List of road–rail bridges
- List of longest bridges above water in India
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ "The ancient heritage behind our railway bridges".
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Diaries of George Turnbull (Chief Engineer, East Indian Railway Company) held at the Centre of South Asian Studies at Cambridge University, England
- ↑ "Bridges: The Spectacular Feat of Indian Railways" (PDF). National Informatics Centre. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
- ↑ "Indian Railway History Timeline". Retrieved 6 July 2011.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ George Turnbull, C.E. Page 108 of the 437-page memoirs published privately 1893, scanned copy held in the British Library, London on compact disk since 2007
- ↑ The Early History of the East Indian Railway (pages 136-137) Hena Mukherjee, first published 1994 by Firma Private Limited, Calcutta
- ↑ George Turnbull, C.E. Page 198 of the 437-page memoirs published privately 1893, scanned copy held in the British Library, London on compact disk since 2007
- ↑ George Turnbull, C.E. Page 199 of the 437-page memoirs published privately 1993, scanned copy held in the British Library, London on compact disk since 2007
- ↑ Page 35 of History of the East Indian Railway by George Huddleston 1906.
- ↑ "Koelwar Bridge, Bihar, India". Bihar. indian railway. Archived from the original on 9 April 2010. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
- ↑ "New Koilwar bridge to be named after Bihar mathematician: Nitin Gadkari". Dainik Jagran.
- ↑ "Nitin Gadkari opens 3 of 6 lanes of New Koilwar bridge". Times of India.
External links[edit | edit source]
 Koilwar river bridge.MOV | |
| Koilwar Pool Soan River Abdul Bar |
Railways in Bihar | |||||||||||
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