The story of Howrah Bridge goes back to 1862 as Calcutta; the then capital of British India started growing busier each day. The need for a strong connectivity between the two principal districts, Howrah and Calcutta, which were separated by the Hooghly River, became important. Subsequent to the formation of Calcutta Port Trust in 1870, and via Howrah Bridge act of 1871, the first Pontoon Bridge between the two places completed in 1874. Parts of the bridge were shipped from England and assembled in India. This bridge was 465.7 meters long and 19 meters wide with pavements measuring 2.1 meters on either side.Since the bridge was at a lower level, it had to be unfastened at regular intervals for the steamers and other water transports to pass. This bridge did serve the purpose for the time being but it wasn’t strong enough to bear the weight of heavy vehicular traffic and could not stand rough weather. Hence, the Port Commissioners felt the need for a robust alternative and put forth their proposal to build a sturdier bridge.