The amazing Howrah Bridge is considered the lifeline of Kolkata. Its construction began in 1936. The Government of Bengal wanted to construct a bridge over the Hooghly River and therefore they asked an engineer of the East India Company to come up with a design and proposal that never materialized. It was a British engineer Sir Bradford Leslie, who built a pontoon bridge in 1874. The old Howrah Bridge was good enough, but it had to be redesigned to accommodate the increasing traffic across the Hooghly River. 

Finally, the Bridge was completed in 1942. Only because of this particular reason, it was named the New Howrah Bridge. It was finally opened to the public in February 1943 and took seven years to complete the construction. Sir Rajendra Nath Mukherjee, a renowned engineer was the chief engineer for the project. Tata Steel supplied the steel used to construct this bridge. 

A total of INR 333 crore was spent on constructing the Howrah Bridge. Massive 26,500 tons of steel were used in its construction. It was later renamed Rabindra Setu but is still popularly known as the Howrah Bridge. A solitary tram was the first vehicle to travel over the bridge. The Howrah Junction Railway Station which is India's oldest railway station is located on the Howrah end of the bridge. Therefore, the bridge is also known as the gateway to Kolkata.

Rendel, Palmer, and Tritton had designed the Howrah bridge, which was constructed by the Braithwaite Burn and Jessop Construction Company Ltd. The length of each pillar of the bridge measures about 468 feet, and the anchor arm is 325 feet.

A total of 39 pairs of hangers are suspended from the main trusses from which the main bridge deck hangs. Massive 26,500 tonnes of steel were used to construct the bridge, 3000 tonnes of which were supplied from England, and the remaining 23,000 tonnes were commissioned from Tata Steel named TISCROM.

The bridge has been carrying much more than the expected load for quite some time. Kolkata Port Trust has the responsibility to maintain the Howrah Bridge.

• You can take long walks on the bridge, especially at night.
• Do not forget to visit the Mallik Ghat flower market, which is located on the east end of the Howrah Bridge.
• You should take cruises on the Ganges. There are various options available for you such as breakfast cruise, lunch cruise, evening cruise, and dinner cruise.
• Magen David Synagogue in Kolkata's oldest existing synagogue is located very close to the bridge.

• Do not walk on the vehicle lane of the bridge.
• Do not park your car in the middle of the bridge, it will cause a traffic jam.
• If you are traveling with kids then keep an eye on them and make sure they do not enter the vehicle lane.

The best time to visit the Howrah Bridge is either during the morning or at night time. If you were to visit the bridge at noon then you will find a lot of crowds and traffic. At nighttime, the bridge is all lit up and it turns very beautiful.

• Howrah bridge replica
• James Prinsep Ghat
• Moti Lal Seal Ghat
• Vidyasagar Setu

• A total of INR 333 crore was spent on constructing the Howrah Bridge.
• Massive 26,500 tons of steel were used in its construction.
• The Howrah Junction Railway Station which is India's oldest railway station is located on the Howrah end of the bridge.