Structural Retrofitting of Chitpore Bridge
Dr M.V. Joshi, PhD IIT Bombay, CEO of SSSPL; Vivek S V, M-Tech IIT Kharagpur; and J. D. Bhanushali, MSc in Civil Engineering, IIT Tirupati
The Chitpore Bridge has contributed to the economic growth of Kolkata city from as early as 1843. It was constructed under the leadership of John Thomson, who was the superintendent of canals and the agent for iron suspension bridges. The bridge spans 99 feet and has a roadway which is 24 meters wide. It was popularly referred to as the Bagbazar Bridge and is one of the earliest examples of the bowstring bridge (Figure 1).