A general view shows the plaza of the Western Wall in Jerusalem, amid the coronavirus pandemic, May 6, 2020. Photo: Reuters / Ronen Zvulun.

JNS.org – Renovation work on the Mughrabi Bridge at the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City began on Sunday, according to the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, which is responsible for the site. The temporary construction has been deemed by experts to be at risk of collapse.

The project will take several days, the authority said, and part of the women’s prayer section—where the bridge is located—will be closed off.

Last month, municipal engineer Ofer Cohen, who was hired by the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, notified the state of the bridge’s poor condition and warned that unless proper measures were taken, it could lead to a disaster as deadly as the Lag B’Omer stampede that took the lives of 45 people in May.

The engineer submitted his urgent recommendation in May that although the bridge—providing sole access for police, Israelis and tourists visiting the Temple Mount—is due to be replaced by September, it really should be immediately torn down due to the danger of imminent collapse.