| Highway 1 | |
|---|---|
| Tel Aviv - Jerusalem Highway Jericho Road |
|
| Route information | |
| Length: | 94 km (58 mi) |
| Major junctions | |
| West end: | Tel Aviv (Kibbutz Galuyot Interchange) |
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| East end: | Jordan River |
| Location | |
| Major cities: | Holon, Rishon LeZion, Yehud, Lod, Modi'in, Beit Shemesh, Mevaseret Zion, Jerusalem, Ma'ale Adummim, Jericho |
| Highway system | |
Highway 1 (Hebrew: כביש 1, kvish a'hat), is the main highway connecting Tel Aviv with Jerusalem.
Contents |
The section between Latrun and Jerusalem roughly follows an ancient path connecting Jaffa and Jerusalem. The Jaffa-Jerusalem road was initially paved by the Ottomans in the 1860s and since then served as the main highway to Jerusalem, favored over more topographically convenient routes such as Route 443.
In 1948 the Latrun section of the highway was taken over by Jordan and traffic was diverted to a new route called "Derekh Ha'Gvura" (Road of Bravery), which is now part of Highways 44 and 38. In 1965 the old highway was widened to four lanes between Sha'ar HaGai and Jerusalem, and after the Six Day War the Latrun section was reopened and an interchange was built at Mevaseret Zion (Harel Interchange). During the 1970s a bypass was built around the village of Abu Ghosh, including the construction of Hemed Interchange.
In 1978 a new section opened, connecting Sha'ar HaGai with former Highway 10 (Tel Aviv - Ben Gurion Airport). The new section formed the third freeway in the country, after Highways 2 and 4. Although it is about 10 km longer than the old road (now Highway 44 and Route 424) it is much faster. One of the first passengers on this section was Egyptian President Anwar Sadat during his historic visit to Israel in 1977. This section briefly crosses over the Green Line near Latrun.
The section between Ganot Interchange and Ben Shemen Interchange was widened to six lanes in 1998. During the construction of Highway 6 (1999–2003), Ben Shemen Interchange was completely rebuilt, and a new interchange was built near the village of Kfar Daniel. Named for the adjacent village, the Daniel Interchange is actually a 1 1/2 kilometer straight, eight lane segment where Highways 1 and 6 run concurrently providing 1-west to 6-north and 1-east to 6-south high-speed interchange.
Motza Interchange opened in 1990 and Sha'ar HaGai Interchange opened in 1995. In 1998 the east bound left turn to Abu Ghosh, Ma'ale HaHamisha and Kiryat Anavim was closed. Finally, in 2002 Shoresh Interchange opened, eliminating the last left turn on the highway between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Although the Sha'ar HaGai - Jerusalem section is fully grade separated, the road does not meet freeway standards due to narrow shoulders, dangerous turns and difficult slopes, and the speed limit on this section is 80 km/h.
Anava Interchange opened on February 4, 2009 together with the eastern section of Route 431.[1] It is a complex interchange and the first full freeway to freeway interchange in the country, connecting all eight directions between the two freeways without the use of traffic lights.
The section of the highway east of Jerusalem was first built by the British in the 1920s, also along the path of an ancient road to the Dead Sea. This section was under Jordanian control between 1948 and 1967, and renewed access to this road, which is known as the "Jericho Road" (Hebrew: דרך יריחו) or the Adummim Ascent (Hebrew: מעלה אדומים), was famously noted alongside the reunification of Jerusalem in the famous Israeli song, Jerusalem of Gold.
In the late 1980s, a new road was built north of Jericho Road, between French Hill neighborhood in northern Jerusalem and the town of Ma'ale Adummim. This section was improved by 1995, when it was widened and a new interchange was built at Ma'ale Adummim. A bypass of this section, designed to relieve congestion at Sha'ar Mizrah Junction, opened in 2002, connecting the highway through two 2-lane tunnels under Mount Scopus towards the Hebrew University, Bar-Ilan Street and central Jerusalem. As part of this project, the new HaZeitim interchange was built at the foot of the Mount of Olives.
The sections west and east of Jerusalem are linked by an expressway segment running north of the city centre. Known internally as Yigael Yadin road or 'Jerusalem Road 9', the stretch has divided lanes, but includes two at-grade intersections alongside its interchanges.
In 2001 Moriah, the Jerusalem Development Company, started building a bypass of the city's oft-congested western entrance, designated as 'Jerusalem Road 9'. Before it was built, travelers from west of Jerusalem who wished to reach the Dead Sea, or vice versa, had no better option than to drive through congested city streets. The road was intended to improve traffic flow in Ramot Alon and nearby neighborhoods.
The 3.6 km road descends from the purpose-built Sha'ar Moriah interchange to allow continuous separate grade access to Yigael Yadin Interchange and the northern and eastern continuation of Highway 1. It includes two 400 meter tunnels (one for eastbound traffic and one for westbound), four bridges over the Sorek stream and two new interchanges.
While the highway was scheduled for completion in early 2005, work was slowed to a near halt between 2003 and 2006 and completion was postponed for over two years.[2]The opening, planned for May 21, 2007, was postponed another two months due to Moriah's failure to complete the required environmental mitigation.[3]Permission to open the road was granted on condition that the company and Jerusalem municipality guarantee completion of environmental mitigation after the opening.[4] Road 9 opened on July 25, 2007 and constitutes part of Highway 1.
The eastern section of the highway has been widened to four lanes between Ma'ale Adumim and Jericho. There are also plans to construct a continuous string of four-lane highways from Jerusalem to Amman, thereby shortening the one-way trip between these two cities to one hour. Route 1 would be a part of this string.
Israel Railways is building a new high speed rail line between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. This line will cross the highway at three points: over a viaduct east of Ben Gurion Airport, in a tunnel at Anava Interchange and in another tunnel at the western entrance to Jerusalem.
To relieve congestion at the entrance to Tel Aviv, an express toll lane was built as a Build-Operate-Transfer project. The project includes additional lanes between Ben Gurion Airport and Kibutz Galuyot Interchange and a large park and ride facility east of Shapirim Interchange.[5] Shapir Engineering started the construction of the park and ride facility in August 2007 and the project is scheduled for completion by December 2010.
Upgrading the section between Sha'ar HaGai and Jerusalem with additional lanes and fewer curves was approved by the Committee on National Projects after many years of opposition by ecological groups and local governmental authorities. According to this plan, the uni-directional Kiryat Ye'arim Interchange will be rebuilt to allow access to eastbound traffic, a long bridge will be built to straighten the dangerous Motza curve and a tunnel under the Castel Mountain with more efficient entry and exit ramps will be built. Additionally, the soil extracted from the tunnel will be used to widen the Shoresh - Sha'ar HaGai section, raising the road by five meters to straighten the curves and widen the road from four to six lanes.[6][7]
Opposition on ecological grounds to the Shoresh-Sha'ar HaGai section which passes through a sensitive nature reserve has been addressed by the inclusion of ecological land bridges to allow for animal migration. Additionally, the quality of life issues raised by the leaders of the nearby communities were all rejected. Work is expected to be completed by 2016, at a cost of over 2.5 billion NIS ($750 million US).[6][7]
| km | Name | Type | Map | Meaning | Location | Road(s) Crossed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tel Aviv - Jerusalem Highway | ||||||
| 0 | מחלף קיבוץ גלויות (Kibutz Galuyot Interchange) |
Ingathering of the Exiles | Tel Aviv | Highway 20 (Ayalon) Route 461 |
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| ↑Tel Aviv Municipal Boundary↑ | ||||||
| 4.5 | מחלף גנות (Ganot Interchange) |
Gardens | Ganot | Highway 4 |
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| 6.6 | מחלף שפירים (Shapirim Interchange) |
Named after Shapirim Stream |
Beit Dagan | Route 412 |
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| 8.1 | Park and Ride Facility | |||||
| 13 | מחלף בן גוריון (Ben Gurion Interchange) |
Named after airport | Ben Gurion Intl. Airport | Road 4503 |
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| 14.8 | מחלף לוד (Lod Interchange) |
Named after location | Lod | Highway 40 |
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| 17.9 | מחלף בן שמן (Ben Shemen Interchange) (443 extension) (eastbound only) |
Route 443 eastbound Highway 6 northbound |
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| 18.8 | מחלף בן שמן (Ben Shemen Interchange) |
Fruitful | Ben Shemen, Hadid Kfar Daniel |
Route 443/Route 444 Route 4134 |
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| 20.1 | מחלף דניאל (Daniel Interchange) |
Named after location | Kfar Daniel | Highway 6 |
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| 25.4 | מחלף ענבה (Anava Interchange) |
Berry named after Anava (Anabe) Stream |
Kfar Shmuel | Route 431 |
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| 34.4 | מחלף לטרון (Latrun Interchange) |
The Castle (of the Knights) | Latrun | Highway 3 |
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| 38.6 | מחלף שער הגיא (Sha'ar HaGai Interchange) |
Valley Gate | Sha'ar HaGai | Highway 38 |
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| 42 | (eastbound only) | Sha'ar HaGai Kennels | entrance road |
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| 45.5 | מחלף שורש (Shoresh Interchange) |
Root | Shoresh | Road 3955 |
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| 46.9 | מחלף קרית יערים (Kiryat Ye'arim Interchange) (westbound only) |
Town of Forests | Kiryat Ye'arim | Route 425 |
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| 50.2 | מחלף חמד (Hemed Interchange) |
Loveliness | Abu Ghosh, Kiryat Anavim Ma'ale HaHamisha, Har Adar Ein Hemed park |
Road 3975 |
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| 52.2 | מחלף הראל (Har'el Interchange) |
Mountain of God Har'el Brigade |
Mevaseret Zion | Road 3985 |
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| 54.7 | מחלף מוצא (Motza Interchange) |
Origin | Jerusalem Motza neighbourhood |
Sorek st. | ||
| ↓Jerusalem Municipal Boundary↓ | ||||||
| 56 | מחלף שער מוריה (Sha'ar Moriah Interchange) |
Moriah Gate | Jerusalem Western entrance to (Jerusalem) |
Ben Gurion Ave. | ||
| Jerusalem Road 9 | ||||||
| 57.6 | מנהרות שורק (Sorek Tunnels) - 4 lanes |
Sorek Stream Choice Vine |
400 metres | |||
| Yigael Yadin boulevard | ||||||
| 58.6 | מחלף יגאל ידין (Yigael Yadin Interchange) |
Named for Yigael Yadin | Jerusalem Ramot neighbourhood |
Begin Expressway |
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| 58.9 | Green Line | |||||
| 60.5 | צומת רמת שלמה (Ramat Shlomo Junction) |
Solomon Hill | Jerusalem Ramat Shlomo neighbourhood |
Rabbi Druck st. | ||
| 62.2 | צומת שער מזרח (Sha'ar Mizrah Junction) |
Eastern Gate | Jerusalem HaGiv'a HaTzarfatit & Shuafat neighbourhoods |
Bar-lev Boulevard & Shuafat Road | ||
| Ma'ale Adumim Road | ||||||
| 62.4 | מחלף שער מזרח (Sha'ar Mizrah Interchange) |
Eastern Gate | Jerusalem Pisgat Ze'ev neighbourhood |
Highway 60 |
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| 62.8 | צומת שדרות משה דיין (Moshe Dayan Boulevard Junction) |
Named after location | Jerusalem Pisgat Ze'ev neighbourhood |
Moshe Dayan Boulevard |
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| 63.7 | (eastbound only) |
Jerusalem Al-Issawiya neighbourhood |
Anata St. |
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| 65.3 | Jerusalem Al-Issawiya neighbourhood |
Sayarat Haja St. | ||||
| 66.4 | מחלף הזיתים (HaZeitim Interchange) |
The Olives | Jerusalem At-Tur neighborhood |
El-Hardub st. | ||
| ↑Jerusalem Municipal Boundary↑ | ||||||
| 67.2 | Zeitim Security Checkpoint | |||||
| ↑NO westbound through-traffic for green (Palestinian Authority) license plates↑ green license plates must exit to Az-Zaim |
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| 69.1 | מחלף אדומים (Adumim Interchange) |
Red (Ascent) | Ma'ale Adumim | Route 417 |
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| Jericho Road | ||||||
| 72.3 | (westbound only) |
Mevasseret Adumim | local road |
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| 73.3 | צומת אדומים צפון (North Adumim Junction) |
Ma'ale Adumim (North) | Nofei HaSelah Blvd. | |||
| 74.7 | צומת מישור אדומים (Mishor Adumim Junction) |
Mishor Adumim Industrial Park | HaHevra HaCalcalit Blvd | |||
| 74.8 | Route 437 |
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| 76 | (eastbound only) |
Nahal Og Nature Reserve (Wadi Mukhalik) |
local road | |||
| 77.3 | צומת אלון (Alon Junction) |
Named for Yigal Alon | Kfar Adumim, Alon to Ma'ale Mikhmas |
Route 458 |
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| 77.8 | (former Alon Junction) | closed | ||||
| 82.2 | צומת מצפה יריחו (Mitzpe Yeriho Junction) |
Overlook of Jericho | Mitzpe Yeriho | local road | ||
| 87.5 | צומת נבי מוסא (Nabi Musa Junction) |
Prophet Moses | Nabi Musa | local road | ||
| 89.8 | צומת ירוחו (Yeriho Junction) |
Jericho | Vered Yeriho, Jericho | local road | ||
| 90 | צומת אלמוג (Almog Junction) |
Coral | Almog | entrance road | ||
| 92.4 | Beit HaArava | entrance road | ||||
| 94 | צומת בית הערבה (Beit HaArava Junction) |
House Of The Arava | Beit HaArava | Highway 90 |
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