The opening of Israel's Road 531 section, connecting Highway 4 and the Herzliya East Interchange, has been delayed, though work on the extension was concluded several months ago. Route 531 is one of the largest, most expensive infrastructure projects undertaken by Israel in recent years, with a total investment of NIS 4 billion.
Route 531 is intended to connect between the Sharon region and the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, serving as a lateral freeway that also connects between Highway 2 (the Coastal Highway), Highway 4, Highway 6, and Highway 20 (Ayalon Freeway). The road will be 17 kilometers long and will include 11 interchanges with a suburban railway track as its median.
The first section of the road, between the Jaljulia Interchange and the Sokolov Interchange in Kfar Saba, has been for open for some time; recently, the section continuing west to the Malal Junction was opened.
The delayed section cost close to NIS 700 million, and Netivei Israel formerly the National Roads Company promised it would open by the end of 2015. However, a dispute between the Herzliya municipality and the government-owned company delayed its opening. The Herzliya municipality objects to the project, claiming it will bring about a traffic nightmare in the city.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on January 12, 2016
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