Gesher Paz, Modern bridge in Haifa, Israel.
Gesher Paz is a modern bridge in Haifa that crosses multiple traffic lanes and connects different sections of the city. Built from steel and concrete, it carries both vehicular and pedestrian traffic across an important urban corridor.
The bridge was built over Route 4 and inaugurated on 24 July 1931 in the presence of the High Commissioner, to serve traffic toward the power station and the British Shell oil company's facilities at Shemen Beach. It was first called Gesher Shell, and was renamed Gesher Paz after the Paz oil company bought Shell's assets in Israel. The original low bridge was replaced by a taller modern span in the early 21st century, and the old structure was demolished in 2006.
The bridge was first called Gesher Shell, after the British Shell oil company whose Shemen Beach facilities it served; it was renamed Gesher Paz after the Paz oil company bought Shell's Israeli assets. The reliefs that decorate it today are enlarged copies of the 1977 reliefs by artist Gershon Knispel.
The interchange is incomplete: traffic from Route 4 east (from Check Post junction) cannot cross directly to Shemen Beach, and vice versa; that link is made about 400 m east at Gesher Gadud 21, which joins HaHashmal Street to Route 4. The 1990s descent ramp splits into two lanes, one to Bar Yehuda Road in the Lower City and one to HaGiborim junction, the entrance to Hadar.
The original 1931 bridge stood only about 4 metres high, so trucks repeatedly struck it and sometimes jammed underneath, disrupting traffic. A taller modern bridge was built beside it, and the old span was demolished in 2006 during the Second Lebanon War, when traffic was light. The new bridge carries an enlarged copy of Gershon Knispel's 1977 reliefs.
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