Route 899 (Israel)

Route 899 is an east-west regional highway in the Upper Galilee in northern Israel. For almost its entire length of 63 km it proceeds parallel to the nearby border between Israel and Lebanon. In Israel, Route 899 is commonly known as the "highway of the north" (Hebrew: כביש הצפון, Kevish HaTzafon).

History

The road was paved in 1937 as part of the efforts to suppress the Arab revolt. After the road was paved, a fence was placed alongside the road called the "northern fence" or "Tegart's wall" which was completed in July 1938. This fence continued south from the area of Metzudat Koah toward Lake Kinneret. On the side of the road were placed Taggart fortresses, which are now located in Ya'ara, Shomra, Sasa, Avivim and Metzudat Koah. Sixteen pillboxes were built alongside the road between the fortresses. Under the control of the British Mandate in Palestine access to the road was not open, and it required special permission. The road began alongside the village Basa, what is now Betzet and the city Shlomi, and ended at the point next to Metzudat Koah, while it passed near the large Arab settlements. The road was paved several kilometers away from the border with Lebanon. The northern fence was taken down in 1942, but the fortresses and pillboxes remained along the length of the road.

The road today

The present-day path of the road is mostly parallel to the path of the old road of the British Mandate, but it differs in a number of locations. The road underwent many renovations and improvements. In a number of locations on the road there are signs pointing to the "old northern road", to sections of a few kilometers that pass just north of the present-day road, and return to merge into the same road. The national transportation authority sometimes prepares new sections that pass along the backsides of the northern settlements, thus making the road more distant from the border between Israel and Lebanon, and enabling access to the communities from the south, away from the border and toward the majority of Israel's area.

The "northern route" is numbered 899 in the national highway numbering system. It begins in the west at Betzet junction, next to the Mediterranean shore between Rosh HaNikra and Akhziv, where it meets Highway 4. The road climbs via Shefa Valley and turns south to Even Menachem and Netu'a. It meets Highway 89 at Hiram junction near Sasa, and afterward follows the path of Nahal Dishon. After Malkia the road descends into Kadesh Valley and splits away from the international border with Lebanon. After Metzudat Koah the road slopes precipitously downward toward the Hula Valley and ends at Ko'ah junction, where it meets Highway 90.

Junctions and interchanges on the route

Kilometers	Name	Location	Intersecting routes
כביש 899 ממערב למזרח
0	Betzet Junction	Rosh HaNikra	Highway 4
1	Unnamed junction	Betzet	Entrance to Betzet
2	Unnamed junction	Shlomi	Entrance to Shlomi
2.5	Hanita junction	Shlomi	Route 8990, Entrance to Hanita
3	Shlomi Junction	Shlomi	Highway 70
6	Unnamed junction	Ya'ara	Route 8993, Entrance to Adamit
7	Ya'ara Junction	Ya'ara	Entrance to Ya'ara
10	Unnamed junction	Eilon	Entrance to Eilon and Goren Park
11	Unnamed junction	Near Goren	Entrance to Goren Park
12	Unnamed junction	Goren	Entrance to Goren
13	Unnamed junction	Gornot HaGalil	Entrance to Gornot HaGalil
16.5	Unnamed junction	Near Shomera (moshav)	Entrance to Shomera
17.5	Unnamed junction	Near Shomera	Route 8933
19	Unnamed junction	Even Menachem	Entrance to Even Menachem
22	Unnamed junction	Netu'a	Entrance to Netu'a
24.5	Unnamed junction	Biranit	Route 8944, access to Alkush and Pesuta
27.5	Unnamed junction	Mattat	Mattat
33	Unnamed junction	Sasa	Highway 89
33.5	Hiram Junction	Sasa	Highway 89
35.5	Unnamed junction	Dovev	Route 8967, access to Dovev
37.5	Unnamed junction	Bar'am	Entrance to Bar'am
40.5	Unnamed junction	Near Rehaniya	Route 8966, access to Rehaniya
43.5	Unnamed junction	Yaron	Entrance to Yaron
45.5	Unnamed junction	Avivim	Entrance to Avivim
46	Unnamed junction	Avivim	Route 8967
52	Unnamed junction	Malkia	Entrance to Malkia
57.5	Yesha West Junction	Ramot Naftali	Route 886 going north
58	Yesha East Junction	Ramot Naftali	Route 886 going south
63	Ko'ah Junction	Hula Valley	Highway 90

See also

• List of highways in Israel