The three bridges

Three bridges cross the Godavari at Rajamahendravaram, each from a different era of engineering. The oldest, the Havelock Bridge, was begun on 11 November 1897 and opened on 30 August 1900. It was named after Sir Arthur Havelock, then Governor of Madras. For almost a century it carried trains between Howrah and Madras on 56 steel spans. It was retired in 1997.

Its replacement, the Godavari Arch Bridge, was finished in 1997. It runs about 2.7 km on 28 concrete bowstring arches. Further downstream is the 4.1 km road-cum-rail bridge, where the road deck sits above the railway. It opened on 16 August 1974. The state plans to open the Havelock Bridge to walkers, with the 2027 Godavari Pushkaralu as the target. Until then, the easiest view of all three is from Pushkar Ghat, near the city end of the old bridges.