The Black Bridge (now the Manekshaw Bridge) is a historic bridge in
Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by metr ...
,
The Nilgiris District
The Nilgiris district () is one of the 38 districts in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Nilgiri ( en, Blue Mountains) is the name given to a range of mountains spread across the borders among the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Ke ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. At 43.5 metres long, the bridge spans across the Mynala stream, which joins the Coonoor River 2 kilometres downstream. The bridge connects Wellington Cantonment to the
Ooty
Ooty (), officially known as Udhagamandalam (also known as Ootacamund (); abbreviated as Udhagai), is a city and a municipality in the Nilgiris district of the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located north west of Coimbatore and so ...
-
Coonoor
Coonoor, natively spelt as Kunnur (), is a Taluk and a municipality of the Nilgiris district in the Indian State of Tamil Nadu. As of 2011, the town had a population of 45,494.
Demographics
According to 2011 census, Coonoor had a populatio ...
road (NH181). The bridge was constructed in 1858, but it collapsed before its completion. The bridge was constructed again in 1878 using wooden structures.
It was christened the Waterloo Bridge, as the beginning of the Waterloo Road, which leads all the up to present-day
Madras Regiment
The Madras Regiment is the oldest infantry regiment of the Indian Army, originating in the 1750s. The regiment took part in numerous campaigns with both the British Indian Army and the post-independence Indian Army.
History
The town of Madras wa ...
al Centre. The bridge has locally been known as ''Black Bridge'' ever since, as the bridge was built of Burmese teak and was coated with black tar.
In 2009, after the most recent reconstruction, the bridge is named "Manekshaw Bridge" in honour of the Late
Field Marshal SHFJ Manekshaw, who had made
Coonoor
Coonoor, natively spelt as Kunnur (), is a Taluk and a municipality of the Nilgiris district in the Indian State of Tamil Nadu. As of 2011, the town had a population of 45,494.
Demographics
According to 2011 census, Coonoor had a populatio ...
his final resting place. The bridge now sports a statue of the late Field Marshal at the confluence with NH 181.
Refurbishing
The bridge was declared to be unsafe in the 1950s. The wooden decking of the bridge was replaced by a concrete counterpart in 1963. The bridge was deemed unsafe again in 2005, after which it was demolished completely and rebuilt.
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See also
* Ooty Market
The Ooty Municipal Market is located in the Nilgiris district in Tamil Nadu. It is one of the largest retail markets in India. This market is the most important shopping centre in Ooty and utilized by the people for shopping vegetables, fruits ...
* Ooty bus stand
Ooty Bus Stand, also known as Udhagamandalam Central Bus Stand is a bus station located in the town of Ooty. It serves as main bus stand for The Nilgiris district, Tamil Nadu, apart from bus stands in Coonoor, Kotagiri and Gudalur.
Location
I ...
* Charring cross
References
{{coord, 11.3613659, 76.7785289, display=title
Buildings and structures in Nilgiris district
Bridges in Tamil Nadu