Highway 2 (Israel)

Highway 2 nearby Netanya.

Highway 2 (Hebrew: כביש 2‎, Kvish 2) is an Israeli highway located on the coastal plain of the Mediterranean Sea. It begins a major arterial road within Tel Aviv, becoming a freeway as it exits the city northward continuing to Haifa. North of Tel Aviv, the highway is also called The Coastal Highway (Hebrew: כביש החוף‎, Kvish HaHof) or The New Haifa - Tel Aviv Highway (Hebrew: כביש חיפה - תל אביב החדש‎, Kvish Heifa - Tel Aviv HaHadash).

Highway 2 is one of the busiest highways in the country, and drivers experience frequent traffic congestion between Hadera and Tel Aviv during rush hours. The northern sections are also congested at times, especially during weekends and holidays, when many Israelis travel north for vacation.

History

The first section of the highway between Tel Aviv and Netanya was built in the early 1950s as a two lane road with at-grade intersections. The next section was built later that decade, extending the highway north to Olga Junction in Hadera. This section was also built as a two lane road. In 1965 the highway was widened to four lanes between Tel Aviv and Hadera, however grade separations were not built at this point.

The last section of the highway, between Olga Junction and Haifa, opened in 1969. When this section opened it was the first freeway in Israel. Deteriorating road conditions caused by years of neglect led to this section being downgraded from its original freeway status. Road signs on this section are still blue (as opposed to green on regular highways), however there are a few sings indicating an entrance or exit from a freeway and the maximum speed limit is 90–110 km/h, which makes it an Israeli freeway.

The junctions on the older sections of the highway were gradually grade separated: Netanya Interchange was built in 1974, Poleg Interchange in 1975, Havazelet Interchange in 1989, Yanai Interchange in 1990, Olga Interchange in 1993, Hof HaSharon Interchange in 1994 and Rabin Interchange and HaSira Interchange in 1995. Today the highway is grade separated along its entire route between the Haifa South and West Glilot interchanges.

The Tel Aviv - Netanya section was widened to six lanes in the 1990s.

The West Glilot Interchange opened on February 28, 2007, providing a direct connection to eastbound Highway 5 and the Ayalon Highway.

Plans

There are plans to continue the six lane section north to the Zikhron Ya'akov Interchange. These plans also include upgrading the remaining section between Zikhron Ya'akov and Haifa back to freeway standards.

The Carmel Tunnels form a northern extension of Highway 2 to the Krayot area north of Haifa. When a connection from the tunnels to Highway 22 is completed (expected by March 2014), then Highway 22 and the tunnels, together with Highway 2, the Ayalon Highway and Highway 4 will form a continuous limited-access, grade-separated route alongside nearly the entire Mediterranean coastline of Israel from Acre (Akko) to Ashdod (while a parallel, but more inland limited-access corridor will be provided by Highway 6 when it is fully built).

Interchanges

Location	km	Name	Type	Meaning	Road(s) crossed
Ramat Aviv Ramat HaSharon	0	מחלף גלילות מערב (Glilot Ma'arav Interchange)		Named after location of former Jewish refugee camp West Glilot	Highway 5, Namir Road
Herzliya	3	מחלף הסירה (HaSira Interchange)		The Boat	Route 541
	5	מחלף רבין (Rabin Interchange)		Named after Yitzhak Rabin	Keren Hayesod St.
Under Construction (Completion: 2016)[1]
Ga'ash	6.6				Ayalon Highway, to Route 531
Rishpon	7.5	צומת רשפון (Rishpon Junction) northbound only			HaKfar St.
Shefayim	10	מחלף חוף השרון (Hof HaSharon Interchange)		Sharon Beach	local roads
Yakum	11.2	מחלף יקום (Yakum Interchange) northbound only		He shall rise	local road
Wingate Institute	11.2	מחלף וינגייט (Wingate Interchange) southbound only			entrance road
Udim	11.2	מחלף אודים (Udim Interchange) northbound only		Firebrands	HaTse'elon St.
Netanya	17	מחלף פולג (Poleg Interchange)		Named after nearby Poleg Stream	Route 553
	19	מחלף גשר השלום (Gesher HaShalom Interchange)		Peace Bridge	Road 5611
	23	מחלף נתניה (Netanya Interchange)		gift of God	Highway 57
Havatzelet HaSharon	27	מחלף חבצלת (Havatzelet Interchange)		Sand Lily	Road 5710
Beit Yanai	30	מחלף ינאי (Yanai Interchange)		Rabbi Yannai	Road 5720
Hadera	33				Highway 61
	38	מחלף אולגה (Olga Interchange)		Named after location ult. Olga Hankin	Aaron Aaronsohn St.
Caesarea	41	מחלף קיסריה (Caesarea Interchange)		Named after location	Highway 65
Or Akiva	46	מחלף אור עקיבא (Or Akiva Interchange)		Light of Akiva	Road 6511
Zikhron Ya'akov	53	מחלף זכרון יעקב (Zikhron Ya'akov Interchange)		Jacob's Memorial	Highway 70
Atlit	68	מחלף עתלית (Atlit Interchange)		Named after location	Route 721 Road 7110
Haifa	77	מחלף חיפה דרום (Haifa Darom Interchange)		Haifa South	Highway 4 to Carmel Tunnels

References