The historic Hamilton Bridge, which is over the Kishon River, has been moved to its new location and will be used by the general public as part of a pedestrian and cyclist route in the area of the park downstream of the Kishon River.
As part of the plan for the road and rail bridges to the Gulf port, the Kishon River Authority demanded that the Hamilton Bridge, which was used for many years as the main crossing from Haifa to Kiryat over the Kishon River, be preserved and relocated to the east.
The bridge, called by the Haifaites "Bailey Bridge", will be moved to the part near the Yigal Yadin interchange and will be used as a pedestrian bridge connecting the banks of the river in the area of the Kishon river downstream park.
The Hamilton Bridge is moved, photo: Nahal Kishon Authority
Bridges of this type were built throughout the British Empire in the twenties of the last century, as bridges suitable for various developers and temporary uses, which can be assembled without the need for heavy and special mechanical equipment.
This is the only bridge of its kind in Israel and it was placed over the Kishon in July 1957, and for the purpose of its construction parts of an old Mandatory bridge from the time of World War II were used.
At the time, the river authority appealed to the general public with a request to receive historical information and photographs related to the bridge, where the extensive information received helped in determining its status and approving the plans for its replacement.
Construction of the bridge in 1957, photo: from the Haifa City Archives
The first stage of the process ended at the beginning of 2019 when the bridge was lifted to a temporary location near the bank of the river, where conservation work was carried out that included renovation, cleaning and painting.
The concrete surface of the bridge was dismantled and will be replaced by a wooden surface.
At the same time, new uprights were installed on the banks of the river in preparation for the reception of the bridge in its final location, near the Yigal Yedin interchange.
These days the bridge is being lifted and placed in its new place in a complex operation with the help of giant cranes.
It is a huge steel bridge 50 meters long, 5.5 meters wide and weighing 180 tons.
The planning works and the execution of the bridge relocation were started by the "Yepa Nof" company and within the framework of the Ministry of Transport's decision, the port connections project, including the bridge relocation, were transferred to the Israel Ports Company.
The Hamilton Bridge in its new location above the Kishon River, photo: the Kishon River Authority
The CEO of the Kishon River Authority, Sharon Nissim, said: "We see importance in the preservation and repositioning of the Hamilton Bridge.
The old bridge will be used by pedestrians and cyclists to pass between the banks of the river and will be an entrance to the daffodil swamp park that the river authority is promoting these days, as part of a park down the Kishon river."
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