Elphinstone Bridge Chennai

The Elphinstone Bridge serves as the highest degree of architectural brilliance of the British rule in Chennai. Designed and constructed in the year 1840, Elphinstone Bridge over Adyar River in Chennai was supposed to connect Santhome with Adyar. The Elphinstone Bridge suffered damages after a mighty flood in the Adyar River which weakened its pillars post which the Elphinstone Bridge had to be shut down for vehicular traffic in 1973. The New Thiru Vi Ka Bridge along the old Elphinstone Bridge now takes the vehicular traffic while the historic bridge is open for pedestrians.

After 173 years of its existence, the Elphinstone Bridge at Chennai is finally getting a makeover as the bridge is being renovated as a measure to preserve the architectural and historical heritage the city of Chennai possesses. The elaborate plan involves the renovation work that includes the paintings on either sides of the bridge into white which was the original color and also to create a place for people to stop and admire the seeming vegetation around Adyar River.

There are extensive plans to further completely cover the sewage line that run on the bridge which would give Elphinstone Bridge a complete makeover.

Geography

The Elphinstone Bridge is located on Adyar River in the heart of Chennai. The city of Chennai serves as the political capital of the state of Tamil Nadu. Lying on the eastern coast of Indian Peninsula, Chennai is a coastal city that banks on the Bay of Bengal. Previously known as George Town and later as Madras, Chennai’s huge sprawling beaches serve as the perfect picnic spot for the residents of Chennai.

Mainly owing to the sky, the city of Chennai usually has a tropical climate with a very wet monsoon each year. The temperature during the summers soars beyond 40 degrees Celsius and remains somewhat around 30 degree Celsius during the late months of the calendar year.

Chennai also has a typical sea breeze environment that is very helpful in bringing the temperature down during the evenings and nights. Monsoon in Chennai is an exaggerated one as wet spells lash the cities for long.

Chennai also houses the State Assembly for the state of Tamil Nadu and is well connected through bus, Train and airways. The railway head at Chennai is central and hence, allows trains to align there and move to the rest of part of southern India.

Chennai also serves as an important harbor for the ships coming in through Bay of Bengal or through Indian Ocean and hence, acts as a strategically important city for the state as well as the country. Economically, Chennai is blessed with all the three sectors namely Primary, Tertiary and Secondary.

Description of the Bridge

History

The Elphinstone Bridge was constructed under the watchful eyes of John Elphinstone when he was the reigning Governor of Madras from the year 1837 to 1842 and was named after him. He even contributed immensely in developing the education sector. The initial idea of the bridge was to provide a source of connection between the south of Madras and Santhome along with Mylapore. Prior to the construction of this elevated bridge, there was no such structure over Adyar River except a small crossway which was proudly called as the Marmalong Bridge.

Basic Structure

The total stretch of the Elphinstone Bridge is 11 meters. The 173 year old Heritage Bridge is now filled with sewer lines that run below it. This has been covered using wide slabs. Along with the slabs covering the total width of the bridge, Elphinstone Bridge also has a stairway on either of its ends to facilitate easy climbing and getting down for the pedestrians.

Today, there are small gaps between these slabs and the stairs which provides a point of entry to the anti social elements entering the bridge to spoil its peace. There has been progress to ensure that there are no such gaps left in the bridge.

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