The Chords Bridge ( he, גשר המיתרים, ''Gesher HaMeitarim''), also called the Bridge of Strings or Jerusalem Light Rail Bridge, is a
side-spar cable-stayed bridge
A side-spar cable-stayed bridge may be an otherwise conventional cable-stayed bridge but its cable support does ''not span the roadway'', and is instead cantilevered from one side. The Esplanade Riel illustrated is located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, ...
in
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
. The structure was designed by the
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
architect
An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
and
engineer
Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the limit ...
Santiago Calatrava
Santiago Calatrava Valls (born 28 July 1951) is a Spanish architect, structural engineer, sculptor and painter, particularly known for his bridges supported by single leaning pylons, and his railway stations, stadiums, and museums, whose sculp ...
and is used by
Jerusalem Light Rail
Jerusalem Light Rail ( he, הרכבת הקלה בירושלים, ''HaRakevet HaKala Birushalayim'', ar, قطار القدس الخفيف, ''Qiṭār Al-Quds Al-Khafīf'') is a light rail system in Jerusalem. Currently, the Red Line is the o ...
's Red Line, which began service on August 19, 2011. Incorporated in the bridge is a glass-sided pedestrian bridge enabling pedestrians to cross from
Kiryat Moshe
Kiryat Moshe ( he, קריית משה) is a neighborhood in Jerusalem, named for the British Jewish philanthropist Moses Montefiore. Kiryat Moshe is bordered by Givat Shaul.
History
Kiryat Moshe was founded in 1923 with funding from the Moses Mon ...
to the
Jerusalem Central Bus Station. The bridge, which cost about $70 million (
NIS
Nis, Niš, NiS or NIS may refer to:
Places
* Niš, a city in Serbia
* Nis, Iran, a village
* Ness, Lewis ( gd, Nis, links=no), a village in the Outer Hebrides islands
Businesses and organizations
* Naftna Industrija Srbije, Petroleum Industry o ...
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, which was opened in 2005. He was invited to Jerusalem by city engineer Uri Shetrit and former mayor
Ehud Olmert,
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, far higher than the initial forecast of NIS 80 million.
Design and symbolism
The bridge was designed to add a defining visual element to the Jerusalem "skyline" at the entrance to the 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
The Alamillo Bridge ( es, Puente del Alamillo) is a structure in Seville, Andalucia (Spain), which spans the Canal de Alfonso XIII, allowing access to La Cartuja, a peninsula located between the canal and the Guadalquivir River. The bridge was ...
in
Seville
Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...
, 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 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 high mast supporting the roadway via 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 (Hebrew: אבן ירושלמית; Arabic: حجر القدس) 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 tim ...
, with steel, glass and concrete detailing. Dubbed "Jerusalem's first shrine of modern design" by ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...
'' magazine,
the bridge has become a tourist attraction.
The form of the bridge resembles a tent in the desert or a harp, with the cables as the strings, symbolising
King David's harp, according to some observers,
others interpret the looming pylon as the bust of a long-necked bird, a human arm or an arrow caught in a bow.
Acceptance and criticism
The project had many people concerned, but was welcomed with great controversy. Supporters, such as architectural historian
David Kroyanker, said that the bridge helps developing western Jerusalem and its modern requirements. Overall, however, 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, subsequently dubbed the "Taliban troupe",
were compelled to wear long skirts and cover their hair after
ultra-Orthodox Jew
Haredi Judaism ( he, ', ; also spelled ''Charedi'' in English; plural ''Haredim'' or ''Charedim'') consists of groups within Orthodox Judaism that are characterized by their strict adherence to ''halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions, in oppos ...
s threatened to disrupt the ceremony.
See also
*
Side-spar cable-stayed bridge
A side-spar cable-stayed bridge may be an otherwise conventional cable-stayed bridge but its cable support does ''not span the roadway'', and is instead cantilevered from one side. The Esplanade Riel illustrated is located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, ...
References
External links
Bridges, string art and Bézier curves— mathematical analysis of the shape.
{{commons category, Jerusalem Chords Bridge
Bridges by Santiago Calatrava
Bridges completed in 2011
Buildings and structures in Jerusalem
Bridges in Israel
Cable-stayed bridges
Railway bridges in Israel
Transport in Jerusalem
Neo-futurism architecture