Loha Pul over Yamuna to be overhauled soon

The Old Iron Bridge, or Loha Pul, over the Yamuna river will be overhauled soon. The bridge, popular among tempos and autorickshaws to transport local goods to and fro from Yamuna has long been neglected and is avoided by commuters who have to cross the river.

This bridge is in the constituency of Maheish Girri, the BJP Lok Sabha member from East Delhi. Mr Girri had written a letter to the divisional railway manager (DRM), Delhi Division of Northern Railway, on the issue. On his request, the railway authorities have agreed for the revamp of the old iron bridge and for the purpose a fund has been sanctioned. “The rail authorities have sanctioned an amount of Rs 10 crore for redevelopment and overhauling of the aged bridge. The proposal for revamping this bridge has been approved and the repairing work shall begin shortly,” said Mr Girri.

The bridge, also known as Old Yamuna Bridge, consisted of 12 main spans of 214 feet each, of lattice type girders and two spans of 46 feet each, making an overall length of 2,704 feet. Like the Naini Bridge at Allahabad, it carried a double line of railroad above a roadway.

“This double storeyed bridge is mainly a railway bridge, but just below it there is a road which has been neglected since a long time. Its condition is severely deteriorated, especially in the joints. There was a dire need for this bridge to be repaired soon as its poor condition could have invited any big mishap,” added Mr Girri.

The Old Yamuna Bridge was opened for public traffic in 1866, thus completing the last link of the Trunk Line between Calcutta and Delhi. Every day around 100 passenger trains and an equal number of goods trains use the structure.