Ellis Bridge which has been renamed as Swami Vivekanand Bridge, is the oldest bridge of Ahmedabad. This bridge was built in the 1800s to connect the walled city along the east bank of the Sabarmati to newer developments taking pace on the west of the river. Today, it is an iconic landmark and one of the symbols of Ahmedabad.
The need for a bridge across the Sabarmati was realised in 1870–71. However, the first bridge built by British Engineers was destroyed by floods. The wooden bridge was replaced by a steel bridge constructed in 1892 by engineer Himmatlal Dhirajram Bhachech. The steel was imported from Birmingham. The bridge was completed at a cost of INR 4,07,000 borne by the British Government, Local Bodies and Private Subscribers.
The First Stone of the new bridge was laid by His Excellency Donald James eleventh Lord Reay C.C.I.E.LL.D. Governor of Bombay on 19 December 1889. The bridge was named for Sir Barrow Helbert Ellis who was a prominent Anglo-Indian in the Civil Services serving as the commissioner of the North Zone. Himmatlal was honoured by the British Government for saving money as he completed the bridge at the much lower cost than the budget of INR 5,00,000.
The building of Ellis Bridge resulted in the development of new buildings and residential areas to the west of the Sabarmati. By the 1930s a number of iconic public buildings had come up at the western end of Ellis Bridge.
As Ellis Bridge was not suitable for heavy traffic, new concrete bridges were constructed on either side of the steel bridge in 1999 at cost of INR 18,00,00,000. The revamped bridge is renamed as Swami Vivekanand Bridge.
● History. ● Architecture and engineering of the trussed steel bridge. ● View of Sabarmati River.
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10 Minutes
The original steel bridge is preserved as a heritage landmark and the steel work can be seen while driving over the bridge, which has become an iconic landmark and a symbol of Ahmedabad.
Timings :Any Time
Entry Fee : Free