Tungabhadra Bridge near Honnali turns 100

Davanagere: It took four years to complete constructing the

bridge

across the

River Tungabhadra

near

Honnali

in

Davanagere

, and it has now been a century since the structure was completed, and its enduring stability is a testament to the genius who built it:

Sir M Visvesvaraya

. The bridge was completed in 1922, and it has now completed a century. Construction started in 1918, and the entire project cost Rs 3.3 lakh. The bridge stretches across a length of 368m, and 5m wide. The 21 arches lining the length of the bridge are the most arresting aspects of the structure.

Chairman of the Honnali Bridge

Centenary

Celebration Committee A Ananda Kumara, who retired as an executive engineer after serving with the state government, said that they were intent on preserving the bridge, which he dubbed a ‘monument’ for posterity. “We want to celebrate throughout the year. The bridge is an enduring example of stringent quality control. This is something the younger generation must look to emulate. The bridge virtually connects South and North Karnataka, and is a gateway to the Hospet-Shivamogga State Highway,” he said.

Kumara said that experts from, among other places, Indian Institute of Technology, Dharwad, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, had expressed their desire to visit and inspect the century-old bridge. “We will take note of the opinion of all the experts for the maintenance of the structure,” he said.

He pointed to the need to curb mining of sand around the piers of the bridge, which he said could be detrimental to the structure’s longevity.

Prof MN Hiremath, head of civil engineering at PES Institute of Technology and Management in Shivamogga, said that the Surkhi mortar, which was a composite of lime, sand, jaggery, paddy husk and granite stones, was the material used most extensively in the construction of the bridge. “The bridge remains intact till this day. A team of teachers from our college inspected the bridge, and concrete samples collected from the structure will be subjected to non-destructive test, ultra sound test and rebound hammer test, following which, we will submit the report to the centenary celebration committee,” said Prof Hiremath, adding that the plants and shrubs that had mushroomed at the foot of the pier needed to be cleared lest they harm the stability of the structure.


Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India. Don't miss daily games like Crossword, Sudoku, Location Guesser and Mini Crossword. Spread love this holiday season with these Christmas wishes, messages, and quotes.