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| By Israel Insider staff July 26, 2007 |
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Following fierce opposition original plan for the Mughrabi Bridge project, Jerusalem's Planning and Construction Committee on Thursday approved an alternative plan for the bridge's construction.
The bridge can be used by the police to send in large forces in case of unrest on the mount, where the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock are located. The bridge also be a great asset to visitors coming to the Temple Mount.
The original plan for the bridge, which leads from the southern gate of the Western Wall to the Temple Mount's Mughrabi Gate, caused uproar in the Arab world when it was presented in February, due to allegations that it would damage the Temple Mount. Some archaeologists and architects were also worried that the bridge would damage antiquities or obstruct the view of the Temple Mount.
Planners took great care in deciding the route and structure of the bridge. It will consist of a wooden walkway bordered by metal. The number of pylons supporting it will be reduced from seven to four. The height of the pylons will not exceed half a meter, and will be placed on platforms in spaces excavated by the Israel Antiquities Authority during its salvage dig, allowing the antiquities to be restored and protected, according to Haaretz. The planners mapped the archaeological finds along the bridge's path and found spaces in which the pylons could be placed without damaging the antiquities.
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