While studying the growth of a city historians tend to focus on the personalities who populated it and their achievements. The built environment of a city also provides us valuable clues while tracing its history.  This book aims to fill this gap with regard to the city Chennai/Madras. The growth of any city is closely linked to the growth of its infrastructure. The bridges of Madras have contributed immensely to the development of the city. The book traces the history of the construction of the main bridges in Madras and how they helped to connect the city to a cohesive whole.

The book provides us an insight into the history of bridges all over the world and in India. The authors have chosen the city of Madras for their particular enquiry as the city was the first place where the British East India Company established its headquarters.Madras which was a collection of scattered villages in the seventeenth century has grown in to a vibrant and dynamic city teeming with a population of more than million today. Readers of the book will find the details of the book interesting to develop a comprehensive look at the city’s growth.

The book is the outcome of the Summer Research Project Scheme of the Ethiraj Centre for Innovation and Creativity of the Ethiraj College for Women. It is appreciable that the Centre is engaged in encouraging research among the students of the college.