Rajahmundry Godavari Bridge
Rajahmundry has more than one bridge across the River Godavari, built in different decades. The East Godavari district website groups them under “Engineering Tourism” and describes them as works that were of great importance to commerce, transport and development in the district. The notes below follow that page.
Road cum Railway Bridge
It is Asia’s third-largest road cum railway bridge crossing over the beautiful River Godavari. The bridge is 4.1km long and was commissioned by the South Central Railway division of Indian railways. Its construction began in early 1970 by Braithwaite, Burn, and Jessop Construction Company and was inaugurated by the then President of India, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed in 1974 on Aug 16.
Havelock Bridge
This old Rajahmundry Godavari Bridge is also known as the Havelock Bridge which served trains passing between Howrah and Madras. It is the earliest of the three bridges that span the Godavari River at Rajahmundry. The construction of the bridge commenced on Nov 11, 1897. It was named after Sir Arthur Elibank Havelock, the then Governor of Madras. The district website describes a plan to convert it into a tourist spot; check locally for its current status before visiting.
Godavari Arch Bridge
The Godavari Arch Bridge was built to replace the Havelock Bridge. Its construction began in 1991 and lasted till 1997. It became fully operational for running trains from 2003. It is the latest of the three bridges that span the Godavari River at Rajahmundry. The bridge is located in two channels, the Kovvur channel and the Rajahmundry channel, and it is also known as the Kovvur – Rajahmundry Bridge.
The Fourth Bridge
A four-lane bridge and its objective are to ease traffic congestion on the existing Rail Cum Road Bridge. Due to the construction of this bridge, the distance between Chennai and Kolkata has been reduced by 50km.
The bridges at a glance
| Bridge | Details given by the district website |
| Havelock Bridge | Construction commenced on Nov 11, 1897; earliest of the three bridges; served trains between Howrah and Madras |
| Road cum Railway Bridge | 4.1km long; construction began in early 1970; inaugurated on Aug 16, 1974 |
| Godavari Arch Bridge | Built 1991 to 1997; fully operational for trains from 2003; also called the Kovvur – Rajahmundry Bridge |
| Fourth Bridge | Four-lane bridge to ease traffic on the Rail Cum Road Bridge |
Dowleswaram Barrage
The Dowleswaram Barrage was built on the river Godavari under the supervision of British irrigation engineer Sir Arthur Cotton in the year 1850. It is still considered as one of the engineering marvels. The district website lists it with the bridges as the “Cotton Bridge”. To read more about Cotton’s work on the river, see Sir Arthur Cotton Museum – Dhavaleswaram. For the bathing ghat on the river in Rajahmundry itself, see Pushkar Ghat – Rajahmundry.
Address
Kovvur Bridge, Rjy – Kovvur, Rd cum Railway Bridge,Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh, 533101, India.
AP Official Website Of Rajahmundry Godavari Bridge
Also Read Place To Visit In And Around East Godavari District
Rajahmundry Hotels Booking
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