Jerusalem is set to close the Rambam (Mughrabi) Bridge, the only entry point to the Temple Mount for Jews and tourists.
By David Lev
First Publish: 12/8/2011, 12:37 PM
Mughbari (Rambam) Bridge
Israel news photo: Flash 90
The Jerusalem Municipality's chief engineer Shlomo Eshkol said Thursday that he planned to issue an immediate order for the closure of the Rambam Bridge (also known as the Mughrabi Bridge), currently the only entry point to the Temple Mount for Jews and non-Muslim tourists. In aletter to the Western Wall Foundation, which is responsible for the structure, Eshkol said that the bridge structure was very dangerous and in danger of immediate collapse, and could easily catch fire as well. The order to close the bridge would be issued within 7 days, the letter said.
This is not the first time Eshkol has warned about the dangers of the temporary woodbridge; last month, he said that the situation in the area of the bridge was “very dangerous,” after a thorough engineering study by himself and Fire Department investigators. The main danger, the study said, was to women praying at the Kotel; the structure hovers over the women's area of the Kotel and has even taken away a significant part of their prayer area. A collapse or fire, G-d forbid, could exact a great toll, the study said.
The current structure has been in place since 2004, when the permanent bridge at the site collapsed due to winter storms that year. However, the rickety wood structure now used by hundreds of people a day was never meant to be used this long and this extensively. The Western Wall Foundation has sought for years to obtain a permit for remodeling and rebuilding the structure, and that permit was finally issued earlier this year. Read the rest on: Arutz7
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