Work on bridge parallel to Loha Pul enters final lap
The Old Yamuna Bridge, also known as Lohe-ka-Pul, or "bridge number 249", located in Delhi,
is one of the longest and oldest bridges in India. Construction of the bridge started in
1863 and finished in 1866.[1] It was opened for public use in 1867.[2] It is a double-decked
steel truss bridge which runs across the Yamuna river in the eastern part of Delhi.
The
bridge runs east-west across the Yamuna river connecting the city of Delhi to its
neighborhood of Shahdara. It was constructed in 1866 by the East India Railway at a cost of
£1,616,335.[3] It was built with a total length of 2,640 feet and consisted of 12 spans of
202.5 feet each.[3]
In the nineteenth century, two principal cities of North India, Kolkata and Delhi, were
connected by railways, the bridge being the last link on this route. The bridge initially
had a single line, and was later converted to a double line. There is a discrepancy about
the year the second line was added; one source says that "In 1913, this was converted into a
double line by adding down line girders of 12 spans of 202 feet each and 2 end spans of 42
feet to the bridge."[3] But another source says "It was built for a single railway line but
converted into a double line in 1932 and reopened in 1934"[4] because of increased traffic
on this section.
It has the capacity of serving roadways as well as railways simultaneously. The upper deck
carries a two-lane railway line which connects Old Delhi railway station to Shahdra railway
station, while the lower deck carries road traffic.
A new 992.25 metres (3,255 ft) long bridge is under construction adjacent to the Old Yamuna
Bridge