Jerusalem cable car taken to Israel's highest court
Israel's High Court is set to rule on a controversial cable car project in Jerusalem that would alter the city's landscape.
On Nov. 15, the Jerusalem Development Authority was planning to meet with potential bidders for the design, building and operation of a cable car in the city. But instead, a legal, political and architectural battle is raging over the project, and the High Court will soon determine its fate.
According to the authority, the cable car will reduce traffic along the routes to the Old City, and not only benefit "residents, businesspeople and visitors in the area, but also affect all the residents of the city." The project is expected to reduce air and noise pollution and improve tourism experiences.
The project aims to link the western parts of Jerusalem with the Old City. With an already approved government budget of $55 million, the cable car is set to run from a station at a cultural complex in the south of Jerusalem to the Old City’s Dung Gate, the gate closest to the Western Wall. Crossing the Jerusalem Hinnom Valley, the plan is to build one station midway on Mount Zion. The cable car would ferry up to 3,000 tourists and worshipers per hour at peak times in 72 cabins on a four-minute ride.
Former Tourism Minister Yariv Levin of the Likud is behind the plan. The project was embraced by successive tourism ministers as well as by ministers of transportation. They all claim that the project will solve traffic congestion by tourists visiting the historic sites of Jerusalem and offer them yet another unique experience in the holy city.
