The upgrade of the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway (Road 1) has entered its central stage with the start of construction of the Motza bridges, which will replace the "death curve" at Motza, outside of Jerusalem. The project involves the construction of two parallel three-lane bridges 30 meters over the Motza Valley. The pylons on which the bridges' roadbed will lie are now under construction. The construction will not disrupt traffic.
The bridges will cost NIS 200 million and will open to traffic in 2015. The westbound bridge from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv will open first, followed by the eastbound bridge a few months later.
Under the Ministry of Transport plan, the upgrade of Road 1 between Shaar Hagai and Jerusalem will eliminate sharp curves and steep gradients, and a lane in each direction and wide shoulders to improve safety. The project's total cost is NIS 2.5 billion, and it is scheduled for completion in 2016. The project includes tunnels, bridges and new interchanges at Neve Ilan and Ein Hemed.
Minister of Transport Yisrael Katz said that the Motza Bridge will be connected to the future Road 16, the tender for which will be published in 2014. Road 16, which will be named for the late Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, will link Road 1 via tunnels and bridges through the Jerusalem Forest to the area of Shaare Zedek Medical Center near Mount Herzl in Jerusalem.
In addition to the roads, construction of the high-speed Jerusalem-Tel Aviv railway, which will cut travel time between the cities to 28 minutes, is also going ahead.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on November 20, 2013
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