474:, 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
35:
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441:, 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 (170 yd) 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.
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A striking feature of the bridge is a single 118-metre (129 yd) 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
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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
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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
390:'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
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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.
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The project had many people concerned, but was welcomed with great controversy. Supporters, such as architectural historian
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The form of the bridge resembles a tent in the desert or a harp, with the cables as the strings, symbolising
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Lefkovits, Etgar (13 November 2008). "Jerusalem
Affairs: Giving new meaning to an undivided capital".
414:, which was opened in 2005. He was invited to Jerusalem by city engineer Uri Shetrit and former mayor
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449:, with steel, glass and concrete detailing. Dubbed "Jerusalem's first shrine of modern design" by
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624:"Santiago Calatrava, Light Rail Train Bridge, Jerusalem, Israel"
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668:"Discord at opening of Chords Bridge - Haaretz - Israel News"
603:"Shapir, Eiffel win tender to build Calatrava bridge project"
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magazine, the bridge has become a tourist attraction.
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582:"Grand bridge for a drab Jerusalem neighborhood"
402:246 million), was inaugurated on June 25, 2008.
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537:"Jerusalem landmark inaugurated with gala"
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336:Aerial view of the bridge at night
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601:Kedmi, Sharon (20 January 2005).
580:Kershner, Isabel (4 April 2008).
556:Zandberg, Esther (17 June 2004).
535:Lefkovits, Etgar (25 June 2008).
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711:"A Bridge, Yes, But to Where?"
649:. 16 July 2007. Archived from
641:"Striking Chords in Jerusalem"
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508:"Jerusalem Light Rail Project"
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820:Bridges by Santiago Calatrava
626:. arcspace.com. 21 July 2008.
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488:Side-spar cable-stayed bridge
396:Jerusalem Central Bus Station
366:side-spar cable-stayed bridge
137:Side-spar cable-stayed bridge
730:Rotem, Tamar (19 May 2008),
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709:Volner, Ian (9 July 2008).
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362:Jerusalem Light Rail Bridge
162:14.82 metres (48.6 ft)
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188:3.71 metres (12.2 ft)
154:360 metres (1,180 ft)
146:Steel, reinforced concrete
855:Neo-futurist architecture
845:Railway bridges in Israel
825:Bridges completed in 2011
430:to this delicate place".
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716:The Jewish Daily Forward
558:"The builder of bridges"
466:Acceptance and criticism
178:160 metres (520 ft)
170:118 metres (387 ft)
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433:Similar to Calatrava's
850:Transport in Jerusalem
512:Jerusalem Municipality
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653:on November 22, 2008.
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270:Engineering design by
860:Jerusalem Light Rail
840:Cable-stayed bridges
425:Design and symbolism
388:Jerusalem Light Rail
193:Rail characteristics
85:Jerusalem Light Rail
476:ultra-Orthodox Jews
435:Puente del Alamillo
356:), also called the
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16:Bridge in Jerusalem
787:The Jerusalem Post
587:The New York Times
542:The Jerusalem Post
445:is mostly clad in
384:Santiago Calatrava
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278:Construction start
273:Santiago Calatrava
264:Santiago Calatrava
121:Bridge of Strings,
835:Bridges in Israel
460:King David's harp
358:Bridge of Strings
354:Gesher HaMeitarim
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294:Construction cost
65:31.789°N 35.200°E
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128:Characteristics
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110:Official name
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769:. Retrieved
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392:Kiryat Moshe
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175:Longest span
151:Total length
738:(in Hebrew)
416:Ehud Olmert
412:Petah Tikva
350:גשר המיתרים
305:Inaugurated
300:246 million
244:Electrified
213:Track gauge
68: /
43:Coordinates
27:גשר המיתרים
814:Categories
771:2008-07-02
742:5 December
673:2008-07-02
494:References
322:References
56:35°12′00″E
53:31°47′20″N
377:architect
370:Jerusalem
260:Architect
123:Jerusalem
104:Jerusalem
517:July 29,
482:See also
381:engineer
313:Location
236: in
143:Material
761:Haaretz
736:Haaretz
696:Haaretz
607:Haaretz
563:Haaretz
439:Seville
406:History
394:to the
374:Spanish
364:, is a
255:History
231:⁄
92:Crosses
81:Carries
346:Hebrew
203:tracks
167:Height
133:Design
100:Locale
159:Width
744:2011
646:Time
519:2013
452:Time
379:and
340:The
289:2008
281:2005
437:in
400:NIS
368:in
360:or
298:NIS
201:of
199:No.
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344:(
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233:2
229:1
226:+
224:8
220:(
207:2
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
