Wokop Bridge, Pedestrian bridge over the Yarkon River in Tel Aviv, Israel
The Wokop Bridge is a pedestrian crossing made of metal and concrete that spans the Yarkon River and connects different sections of Tel Aviv. The structure is relatively narrow with solid handrails designed specifically for foot traffic.
The bridge was built in 1938 as a service crossing to the Reading power station construction site, the first Tel Aviv foothold on the Yarkon's north bank. On 23 February 1938 a cornerstone was laid for a different bridge at the end of Bnei Dan Street, promised to be named after High Commissioner Arthur Wauchope; that bridge was built nearly 40 years later as Ben-Eliezer Bridge. The name "Wauchope" later attached to the Reading bridge by mistake, and the error was fixed on a sign when the bridge was rebuilt in 2001.
The name "Wokop" is a mistake: the bridge was never officially named after High Commissioner Arthur Wauchope, whose cornerstone ceremony in 1938 concerned a different bridge. The error stuck in public use and was fixed on a sign at the bridge's foot when it was rebuilt in 2001; the city decided in August 2011 to keep the sign. The bridge and its surroundings appear in a scene of the film Metzitzim.
The bridge is easily accessible from both riverbanks and can be crossed at any time of day. The surface is stable and comfortable to walk on, making it straightforward to cross the river and connect the two areas.
The name "Wokop Bridge" comes from a mistake: in 1938 a cornerstone was laid for a different bridge that was to be named after High Commissioner Arthur Wauchope, but that bridge was never built there. The name later attached itself to the Reading power station bridge, and when the footbridge was rebuilt in 2001 the error was fixed on a sign reading "Wokop Bridge". In August 2011 the city said it would not change the sign.
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