The Ellis Bridge is a century-old bridge in Ahmedabad,

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

. It bridges the western and eastern parts of the city across the Sabarmati river. This bowstring arch

truss bridge A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements (typically straight) may be stressed from tension, compression, or ...

was the first bridge in Ahmedabad, constructed in 1892. Concrete wings were added on either side in 1997 and it was renamed the Swami Vivekananda Bridge.

History

The original wooden bridge was constructed by British engineers in 1870–1871 at a cost of £54,920 (Rs. 5,49,200). Except for two spans on banks, it was destroyed by floods in 1875. A steel bridge was built in 1892 by engineer Himmatlal Dhirajram Bhachech and named after Sir

Barrow Helbert Ellis Sir Barrow Helbert Ellis, KCSI (24 January 1823 – 20 June 1887) was an Anglo-Indian civil servant who held several prominent posts in India during the time of British colonial rule. Education Ellis, born in London on 24 January 1823, was the son ...

, the commissioner of the North Zone. The steel was imported from

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...

. 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 found that the construction was of superior quality. For saving government money, Himmatlal was subsequently honoured with the title of Rao Sahib. The foundation block of the Ellis bridge was later moved to the

Sanskar Kendra Sanskar Kendra is a museum at Ahmedabad, India, designed by the architect Le Corbusier. It is a city museum depicting history, art, culture and architecture of Ahmedabad. Another Patang Kite Museum is there which includes a collection of kites, ...

. It reads, Thousands heard

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

declaring his

Dandi march The Salt March, also known as the Salt Satyagraha, Dandi March and the Dandi Satyagraha, was an act of nonviolent civil disobedience in colonial India led by Mahatma Gandhi. The twenty-four day march lasted from 12 March to 6 April 1930 as a di ...

on 8 March 1930 from the Ellis bridge. Proposals to pull down the bridge were made in 1973, 1983 and 1986 but were rejected. The

Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation The Amdavad Municipal Corporation, or the AMC, established in July 1950 under the Bombay Provincial Corporation Act (1949), is responsible for the civic infrastructure and administration of the city of Ahmedabad. History On 21 April 1831, the ...

declared the Ellis bridge and its boundary,

Manek Burj Manek Burj, also spelled Manek Buraj () is the foundation bastion of Bhadra Fort in the old city of Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. The Burj is associated with legendary saint Maneknath. Etymology Manek Burj is named after the legendary 15th centu ...

and the natural water drain near one of the banks of Sabarmati river protected sites in May 1989. The original steel bridge was narrow and not suited for heavy motorized traffic and so it was closed in 1997. New concrete bridges were constructed on either side of the steel bridge to support heavy traffic in 1999 at cost of , and the original steel bridge is preserved as a heritage landmark. After the documentation, the Manek Burj was partially removed and Ganesh Bari, the Maratha constructed gate, was reconstructed to make space for the bridge. The bridge has been renamed Swami Vivekananda bridge after Swami Vivekanand.

Reconstruction proposal

It was found that steel piers of the bridge became corroded due to pollution in the Sabarmati river. Consultants appointed for strengthening the bridge, proposed its demolition in 2012 since building a new bridge would be cheaper than strengthening the existing one. It was also planned to run the Ahmedabad Bus Rapid Transit System buses on the new bridge. It is proposed that the steel arches of the old steel bridge should be preserved and placed back on the new bridge. Later the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation shelved the proposal of the new bridge for the bus system.

Cultural significance

This 120-year-old bridge has become an landmark and a symbol of Ahmedabad. It was featured in several films, such as ''

Kai Po Che! ''Kai Po Che!: Brothers... For Life'' () is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language buddy sports drama film directed by Abhishek Kapoor and produced by Ronnie Screwvala and Siddharth Roy Kapur under UTV Motion Pictures, marking the banner's first solo ...

'' (2013) and '' Kevi Rite Jaish'' (2012). The Karnavati Art Gallery is at the western end of the bridge.

References

{{Authority control Bridges completed in 1892 Truss bridges Bridges in Ahmedabad 1892 establishments in India