New elevator, tunnel to provide accessible entry to Jerusalem’s Old City
Along with providing an accessible route to the Jaffa Gate, the project will also open up archaeological finds to the public.
By TZVI JOFFREAccessible entrance, archaeological site planned for Jaffa Gate area(photo credit: KIMMEL ESHKOLOT ARCHITECTS)
The Jerusalem Municipality’s Planning and Construction Committee has approved a plan to build an elevator and tunnel to form a new accessible entrance to the Old City.The elevator and tunnel will connect Teddy Park, located alongside the Mamilla pedestrian mall, to the Jaffa Gate, allowing pedestrians to avoid needing to cross major roads in the area and will reduce congestion at other entrances to the Old City.The project also includes plans to develop the area underneath the Jaffa Gate Square and nearby roads, which include a variety of archaeological remains that were found during excavations in the 1990s. The remains include a bathhouse and streets and shops from the Byzantine period, a water aqueduct from the fourth century CE and part of an Ayyubid wall from the 13th century.The development will also create a continuum between the archaeological finds in Teddy Park and the finds next to the Jaffa Gate.The space underneath the roads in the area and the Mamilla Bridge will be used in the project to create closed spaces measuring about 3,800 square meters that the city will use for musical, educational, cultural and operational activities.“The proposed construction will turn the site into a useful and high-quality complex, with tourist value, accessible to the general public,” wrote the municipality in a press release.The project was proposed by the Jerusalem Municipality through the Jerusalem Development Authority and will move forward for approval by the district committee. The master plan for the project was jointly funded by the Jerusalem Affairs Ministry, the Tower of David Museum and the Jerusalem Municipality through the JDA.“This is a historic plan, no less,” said Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion. “The establishment of a new and accessible entrance to the Old City will allow more visitors to reach the place comfortably and without difficulties. This is good news for Jerusalemites, residents of Israel and the entire nation of Israel.”
