After more than 10 years, the West Bengal government recently gave its nod to the Teesta Bridge project, replacing the Coronation Bridge.
The Coronation Bridge Built in West Bengal spans across the Teesta River.
It was built in the memory of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth from 1937 to 1941.
Its foundation stone was laid by then Bengal Governor John Anderson.
Teesta is Bengal's second-longest river after the Ganga.
It is also known as the Sevoke Roadway Bridge or Baag Pool.
It is the only one British-era bridge on the Teesta linking West Bengal and Sikkim.
Architects - A.C. Dutt, S.K. Ghosh and K.P. Roy.
The bridge was designed by John Chambers, the last British executive engineer in the Darjeeling PWD Division.
The bridge has a steel arch design, its deck is built of steel girders and its arches are supported by concrete piers.
The bridge was damaged in the 2011 earthquake, after which the Centre started planning an alternative bridge to increase connectivity between the two states on this strategically important route.
There were some land acquisition problems; thus, it was delayed by 12 years.
