Petah-Tikva Footbridge

Calatrava sought to address the problem by creating a single structure, designed without the need for mechanical elements and constructed in such a way that it would not interrupt traffic on Jabotinsky Road. The direct, straight-forward solution was to give the bridge the form of a Y-shaped walkway. In type, the structure is a cable-stayed steel bridge. The span across Jabotinsky Road, which gives access to the hospital, is 50-meter-long (164 feet), while the spans that form the arms of the Y — reaching the shopping mall on one side and the park on the other — are each 39-meter- long (128 feet).

The structure is supported by an inclined steel pylon, rising to a height of 29 meters (95 feet), located at the intersection of the three spans. Dynamic and elegant in shape, with trapezoidal arms, the pylon anchors 13 cables and four counter-cables. The cables are anchored at deck and pylon head; the counter-cables are anchored at pylon head to the pylon arm and at pylon arm to the foundation.

The walkway of the long span, which is centrically stayed, is 3.8-meter-wide (12.5 feet). The walkways of the other two spans are 2.7-meter-wide (9 feet) and are excentrically stayed. The deck superstructure is a truss girder, consisting of three tubes running the length of the bridge, upper and lower cross girders, and diagonal tubes. The three abutments and the foundation of the pylon are concrete. The approach ramps to the bridge are comfortable for pedestrians, having a very low slope.

The connection to the proposed bus stops can be achieved by adding another two low-sloped ramps and stairs to the platforms. The design places special emphasis on the landscaping of the access ramps at all three sides of the bridge. Trees and plantings should function as a filter, accentuating the act of crossing the bridge and letting the urbanity of the project come to the fore.