"Bailey Bridge" changes its place after 65 years
The historic Hamilton Bridge over the Kishon was moved to its new location as part of a park down the Kishon River
The historic Hamilton Bridge over the Kishon River is moving 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.
The transition of the Hamilton Bridge to its new location • Watch
As part of the plan for the road and rail bridges to the Gulf port, the Kishon Stream Authority demanded that the historic Hamilton Bridge, which was used for many years as the main crossing from Haifa to Kiryat over the Kishon Stream, be preserved and moved eastward. The bridge will be moved to near the Yigal Yadin interchange and will be used as a pedestrian bridge connecting the banks of the river in the area of Mord Nahal Kishon Park.
The bridge was named by the Haifaites "Bailey Bridge" It is actually a bridge of the "Hamilton" type as it turned out in the conservation survey done for the plan. Such bridges were built throughout the British Empire in the twenties of the last century as bridges that use a simple method suitable for various developers and temporary uses and that can be assembled without the need for heavy and special mechanical equipment. The bridge was built on the site itself from components prepared in advance in the factory. This is the only bridge of this type in Israel and it was placed over the Kishon in July 1957 when parts of an old Mandatory bridge from the Second World War were used to build it. At the time, the river authority appealed to the general public with a request for historical information and photographs related to the bridge, and the extensive information received helped in determining its status and approving the plans for its replacement.
The transition of the Hamilton Bridge to its new location • Watch
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 supports were installed on the banks of the river in preparation for the bridge to be received in its final location, near the Yigal Yedin interchange.
These days the bridge is hoisted and placed in its new place in a complex operation with the help of huge 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.
According to the CEO of the Kishon River Authority, Sharon Nissim:
We see importance in preserving and repositioning 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.
It is important and beautiful to study the past for the sake of the future.
Recently there is a feeling that they are trying to change the past by taking advantage of the public's ignorance.
When I was a child, the carriageway of the bridge was made of wood, and every time I drove over it, I would hear the knocking of the wooden beams in the steel frame. This noise gave the bridge its name among the children "Tick Tock Tick Bridge"...