TEMPLE MOUNT WATCH:

New Mughrabi Bridge plan gets initial OK
By ETGAR LEFKOVITS (Jerusalem Post)

A plan to construct a small new bridge to the Mughrabi Gate which has won city approval has been transferred to the Interior Ministry planning committee for final approval, the Interior Ministry announced late Tuesday.

The archaeological excavation site at the Mughrabi Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem.

The proposal, which calls for the construction of a 95-meter-long bridge to the Mughrabi Gate, comes months after earlier, controversial plans to build a much larger new bridge to the site directly through an archaeological garden were nixed.

The proposed route of the new bridge, which is pending final approval, will follow the existing route of the ramp leading up to the Mughrabi Gate and will be significantly shorter than the previously planned bridge.

A salvage excavation which began at the site earlier this year and then was stopped as the new plans were drawn up could resume shortly, officials said.

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