Skip to main content

Jerusalem bottleneck route to be upgraded

The upgrading of Highway 1 between Sha'ar Hagay and the entrance to Jerusalem, Israel, a 2.5 billion NIS project (US$733 million), is expected to take five years to complete.
March 1, 2012 Read time: 3 mins
The upgrading of Highway 1 between Sha'ar Hagay and the entrance to Jerusalem, Israel, a 2.5 billion NIS project (US$733 million), is expected to take five years to complete.

Highway 1 is the main highway connecting Tel Aviv with Jerusalem, and is heavily congested, especially at the entrances to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. The section between Sha'ar Hagay and Jerusalem is also congested at times because of the many accidents and breakdowns caused by the high slopes and winding nature of the section.

The latest works include shortening the route by several kilometres; expanding the road to three lanes in each direction and constructing interchanges, tunnels and bridges.

The work will be executed by INRC, which will publish tenders for the project over the coming months.

According to the plan, the road segment between the Sha'ar Hagay and Shoresh interchanges will be elevated so as not to damage surroundings and the environment. A new interchange will be built in Ramat Ilan, 700m before the Shoresh interchange, and an ecological bridge will be built that will connect the two sides of the highway and enable pedestrians and animals to cross the road.

The road to Abu Gosh, Ein Rafa and Ein Nakuba  will run under the main highway, while the old Ein Hemed Bridge will be replaced with a new bridge.

Harel interchange will also be replaced by two 650m long tunnels that will pass under the crest and improve access to Mevaseret Zion. Nearby, a park and go parking area will be built with shuttle services to Jerusalem and back.

At the Motza Curve, the dangerous section will be removed and two parallel 800m long bridges will be constructed over the Motza Valley, Arazim Valley and Arza Stream, each with three lanes.

At the entrance to Jerusalem, it is planned that the constant traffic jams will be ended with the connection to Road 9 leading to the north of the city, and Road 16 that will be constructed in the future connecting Motza to Givat Mordechai, providing an additional entrance south of the city. An interchange will be built at Ginot Sakharov.

INRC has also published a tender for the construction of an interchange at Golani Junction, one of the worst bottlenecks in northern Israel. It will become an interchange within three years. The junction lies on the roads between central Israel and Tiberias.

The project, part of the Israel Routes programme will cost some NIS 350 million ($102.5 million).

The interchange will be the first of seven interchanges that will be built along Road 77 in order to create an uninterrupted and unsignalised route from the centre to the north of Israel.

Related Content

  • Bolivia tunnel and highway project under construction
    February 9, 2017
    In Bolivia work is progressing on the strategic Incahuasi tunnel project – Mauro Nogarin writes In southern Bolivia, the Bolivian Highway Administrator (ABC) is supervising the construction of the Incahuasi Tunnel and Monteagudo-Muyupampa-Ipati road. This work is of fundamental importance for the country as it will improve the flow of traffic and boost trade between the departments of Santa Cruz and Chuquisaca. The Monteagudo-Ipati highway project includes the Incachuasi tunnel which has a length of 96km
  • VIDEO: Virginia approves Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel expansion
    December 12, 2016
    The US state of Virginia has approved a US$4 billion project to expand the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel close to the city of Norfolk.

    The state has been looking at designs for the past 20 years to improve traffic flow in the area, according to a report in the Virginian-Pilot newspaper. Hampton Roads is a body of water making up one of the world's largest natural harbours. The existing structure is close to the US Navy's Atlantic Fleet home base at Norfolk.
  • Bridge formwork solutions complete big bridge picture
    July 2, 2014
    Advanced bridge formwork solutions are allowing contractors to complete vital major highway infrastructure projects covering Norway, Sweden, Estonia and Poland. Guy Woodford reports Building the Labbdalen bridges in Norway is a key feature of the E6 highway improvement programme. Main project contractor HÆHRE tasked RMD Kwikform and Teknikk with supplying a complete formwork and shoring solution that could tackle the challenging Norwegian terrain, whilst preserving the environment. Situated two hours
  • Framework solutions speed bridge construction
    February 24, 2012
    Framework plays a key role in construction of bridges and other major infrastructure works – Mike Woof writes Speeding construction processes can help reduce costs considerably and the latest formwork solutions can provide significant benefits in this regard. In many projects the use of standardized and modular formwork solutions can play a key role, reducing the planning and systems required for bridge building work.