The Jerusalem Chords Bridge or Jerusalem Bridge of Strings , also called the Jerusalem Light Rail Bridge is a cantilever spar cable-stayed bridge

Cantilever spar cable-stayed bridge

A cantilever spar cable-stayed bridge is a modern variation of the cable-stayed bridge. This design has been pioneered by the architect Santiago Calatrava. An example of this type is the Puente del Alamillo...

 at the entrance to the city of Jerusalem, Israel

Israel

The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

 designed by the Spanish

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

 architect

Architect

An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...

 and engineer

Engineer

An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...

 Santiago Calatrava

Santiago Calatrava

Santiago Calatrava Valls is a Spanish architect, sculptor and structural engineer whose principal office is in Zürich, Switzerland. Classed now among the elite designers of the world, he has offices in Zürich, Paris, Valencia, and New York City....

. The bridge is used by Jerusalem Light Rail

Jerusalem Light Rail

The Jerusalem Light Rail is a light rail line, the first of several rapid transit lines planned by Israel for Jerusalem, Israel's capital city. Construction began in 2002 and ended in 2010, when the testing phase began. It was built by the CityPass consortium, which has a 30-year concession to...

's Red Line, which began service on August 19, 2011. Incorporated in the structure is a glass-sided pedestrian bridge enabling pedestrians to cross from Kiryat Moshe

Kiryat Moshe

Kiryat Moshe is a neighborhood in western Jerusalem, Israel named for the British Jewish philanthropist Moses Montefiore. Kiryat Moshe is bordered by Givat Shaul.-History:...

 to the Jerusalem Central Bus Station

Jerusalem Central Bus Station

The Jerusalem Central Bus Station is the main bus depot in Jerusalem, Israel and one of the busiest bus stations in the country. Located on Jaffa Road near the entrance to the city, it serves Egged, Superbus and Dan intercity bus routes...

. The bridge which cost about $70 million (NIS 246 million) was inaugurated on June 25, 2008.

History

Calatrava first visited Israel for the opening of an exhibition of his works in Haifa in 1997. During that visit, he was invited to design a pedestrian bridge in Petah Tikva

Petah Tikva

Petah Tikva known as Em HaMoshavot , is a city in the Center District of Israel, east of Tel Aviv.According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, at the end of 2009, the city's population stood at 209,600. The population density is approximately...

, which was opened in 2005. He was invited to Jerusalem by city engineer Uri Shetrit and former mayor Ehud Olmert

Ehud Olmert

Ehud Olmert is an Israeli politician and lawyer. He served as Prime Minister of Israel from 2006 to 2009, as a Cabinet Minister from 1988 to 1992 and from 2003 to 2006, and as Mayor of Jerusalem from 1993 to 2003....

, who, according to Calatrava, challenged him to "do the most beautiful contemporary bridge".

Construction of the Chords Bridge began in 2005, with an estimated cost of NIS 129 million, already far higher than a first NIS 80 million forecast.

Design and symbolism

The bridge was designed to add a defining visual element to the Jerusalem "skyline" at the entrance to the western city, and to carry a light rail system, expected to solve some of the city's traffic problems. For Calatrava the bridge is "also the excuse to create a major plaza, to give character and unity to this delicate place".

Similar to Calatrava's Puente del Alamillo

Puente del Alamillo

The Alamillo Bridge is a structure in Seville, Andalucia , which spans the Canal de Alfonso XIII, allowing access to La Cartuja, an island between the canal and the Guadalquivir River. The bridge was constructed as part of infrastructure improvements for Expo 92, which was held on a large site on...

 in Seville

Seville

Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...

, Spain, the bridge makes use of an angled cantilever tower to absorb some of the load and reduce the number of cable stays needed. The bridge consists of a single pylon counterbalancing a 160 metre span with lengths of cables, making a dramatic architectural statement. While this is Calatrava's 40th bridge, it is the first he has designed to carry both train and pedestrian traffic.

A striking feature of the bridge is a single 118-meter high mast supported by 66 steel cables arranged in a parabolic shape which develops three-dimensionally in space, making it the tallest structure in Jerusalem at the time of its completion. The exterior of the bridge is mostly clad in Jerusalem stone

Jerusalem stone

Jerusalem stone is a name applied to various types of pale limestone, dolomite and dolomitic limestone, common in and around Jerusalem that have been used in building since ancient times...

, with steel, glass and concrete detailing. Dubbed "Jerusalem's first shrine of modern design" by Time Magazine, the bridge has become a tourist attraction.

The form of the bridge resemble a tent in the desert or a harp, with the cables as the strings, symbolising King David's harp

Kinnor

Kinnor is the Hebrew name for an ancient Israelite lyre mentioned in the Bible and commonly translated as harp.-History:The identification of the instrument is uncertain, but a few historians of musical instruments say it is similar to the Greek cithara, Though the Kinnura is a better...

, according to Calatrava, others interpret the looming pylon as the bust of a long-necked bird, a human arm or an arrow caught in a bow.

Criticism

The project has been criticized as an extravagant and costly solution to a problem that could have been solved by cheaper means, the final cost of over $70 million exceeding the original budget more than twofold. The aesthetics of the bridge and its impact on Jerusalem have also sparked controversy. Some say the bridge, situated at the city's crowded entrance, does not have enough space around it for people to appreciate its artistic merit, while others feel that the bridge is simply out of its element and question whether it fits visually in the city. The bridge's dedication ceremony, a $500,000 extravaganza, also drew criticism, particularly as young female dancers, dubbed the "Taliban troupe", were compelled to wear long skirts and cover their hair after ultra-Orthodox Jews threatened to disrupt the ceremony.

External links