The Howrah Bridge is a balanced cantilever bridge over the Hooghly River in West Bengal, India.
Commissioned in 1943, the bridge was originally named the New Howrah Bridge, because it replaced a pontoon bridge at the same location linking the cities of Howrah and Kolkata
Address: Howrah, West Bengal 700001Total length: 705 m
The Howrah Bridge is a suspension-type balanced cantilever bridge. It has a central span of 1500ft between the main towers. The anchor and cantilever arms are 325ft and 468ft long, respectively.
The bridge deck consists of a 71ft carriageway and a 15ft pathway projected on both sides of the trusses and supported by a fascia girder.
The bridge construction contract was assigned to the British firm Cleveland Bridge & Engineering of Darlington on the basis of a global tender invited between 1934 and 1935
Tata Iron and Steel Company (TISCO) supplied 23,500t of steel and fabrication for the bridge construction.
Painted in June 2005, the bridge required more than 26,500l of aluminium paint to cover 23,500t of steel, occupying a surface area of 2.2mm².