Old Elphinstone Bridge

The Lone Crusader 51 months ago

Most of the bridges across railway tracks (which run from North to South in Mumbai) in the city and beyond have been constructed in the latter half of the 19th century and the early decades of the twentieth century, thus providing a motorized access route from the West to the East on either side of the tracks. These magnificent steel and stone edifices have stood the test of time, but are now in need of urgent attention, either for restoration or complete renovation. These include those built across the Great Indian Peninsular (GIP) as well as the Bombay, Baroda, & Central India (BB & CI) Railways. These bridges and some of the stations below them have a chequered history, being named after former city governors (Carnac, Reay), or important railway officials (French & Kennedy Bridges).

The Old Elphinstone Bridge connecting the Chinch Bunder and Dongri areas of Sandhurst Road (West) to the dock regions of Wadi Bunder and Mazgaon in the East. was built in 1868, the same year in which the Carnac Bridge came up. It was named after Mountstuart Elphinstone, Governor of Bombay (1819-1827). It may be noted that this bridge is not to be mixed up with the Parel Bridge ( sometimes wrongly called as Elphinstone Bridge), running over the Parel & Elphinstone Road railway stations. The bridge which is part of the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Road, was rebuilt in 2004, and the stone with the original inscription stating the year of completion is sadly no longer seen, probably being demolished. Elphinstone Bridge finds mention in rare book finds of the early twentieth century, like "Bombay Place-Names and Street-Names. An Excursion into the by-ways of the history of Bombay City", authored by Samuel T. Sheppard and "The Gazetteer of Bombay City and Island. Volume I." Today the bridge is a vital link between Wadi Bunder and the Chinch Bunder & Dongri areas, more so after the recent demolition of the Hancock Bridge.