The third lane though the Harel Tunnels and on the Motza Bridge on Road 1 - the Tel Aviv - Jerusalem highway - is set to open next week. The third lane in the western direction between Jerusalem and Shaar Hagai is scheduled to open on Sunday June 4 while the third lane in the eastern direction from Shaar Hagai to Jerusalem will open on Thursday June 8.
At the same time, the speed limit between Shaar Hagai and Motza (except through the Harel Tunnels) will be raised to 110 kilometers per hour.
Since the Harel Tunnels were opened earlier this year and the Motza Bridge last year, motorists have complained that the traffic jams entering Jerusalem in the morning and leaving Jerusalem in the afternoon, have actually worsened. The Ministry of Transport claims that the opening of the third lane will relieve much of this congestion.
With the opening of the third lane, the NIS 2.5 billion upgrade of Road 1 between Shaar Hagai and Jerusalem, which will reduce the driving time between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem to 35 minutes, if there is no heavy traffic, has been completed.
Attention will now focus on the final stretch into Jerusalem's western entrance with a tender set to be issued to build a flyover at Ganei Sakharov to replace the traffic lights there. The project will cost NIS 330 million.
A third lane will also be added in each direction between Ganei Sakharov and the western entrance to Jerusalem. At the same time the public transport lane on Road 1 will be extended westwards to Motza and eastwards to the Central Bus Station.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on May 29, 2017
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2017