by Hillel Fendel
Great news for residents of Gush Etzion and all who use the southern entrances to Jerusalem: A second set of two tunnels and a new bridge are fast nearing completion on the highway between Jerusalem and Gush Etzion, meaning a huge improvement in traffic congestion.
The Jerusalem-Gush Etzion section of the north-south Route 60 is considered one of the more congested highways in the country, serving as the southern entrance to the capital for tens of thousands of motorists - Jewish and Arab - every day. Route 60 itself, which leads from Be'er Sheva in the south to Shechem (Nablus) in the north, and further, is considered the modern-day version of the route taken by the Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob on their journeys through the Holy Land.
The improvements on the section in question are being carried out in three parts. First to be paved was a 5-kilometer highway lane, parallel to the previously existing one, from Gilo southward to the turnoff leading to Beitar Illit. The work includes the construction of a 360-meter long bridge over the valleys of southern Jerusalem.
The next section as one travels southwards – that of the tunnels – is being left for last, though it is well underway. In fact, a milestone was reached last month when a bulldozer poked through the top of one of the tunnels-in-progress and the first rays of sunlight shone through the crack.
Gush Etzion Regional Council head Shlomo Ne'eman said, "This is another important milestone towards the solution of our traffic problems. We can see the light at the end of the tunnel!"
When completed, each of the two existing north-south tunnels will be flanked by another one, enabling two lanes of traffic in each direction. The tunnels will be 260 and 890 meters (over a half-mile) long, respectively. In addition, an alternating public traffic lane – the first in Israel – is being constructed, to be used for southward traffic out of Jerusalem in the afternoon-evening and for inbound traffic in the morning hours.
These sections of Highway 60 serve residents not only of Jerusalem and Gush Etzion, but also of Beitar Illit, Efrat, Kiryat Arba, Hevron, Tzur Hadassah, Mevo Beitar, Mateh Yehuda, and even of Beit Shemesh.
Work on the third section, between Beitar Illit and Elazar, is set to begin very soon. The entire project is price-tagged at one billion New Israeli Shekels ($312.5 million).
North of Jerusalem
Route 60 north of Jerusalem has also been significantly upgraded of late, but an important improvement is being held up. A new tunnel detours the intersection leading to Adam and Arab points west; traffic lights have been installed at intersections leading to Ariel, Shilo, Ateret, Ofrah, and Bet El, and a traffic circle has been constructed at what was a dangerous turnoff to Psagot and Kokhav Yaakov. But most unfortunately, the entrance to and exit from the growing Shaar Binyamin industrial, shopping, and office complex has been left as is, with neither a traffic circle nor a traffic light. Local motorists complain that it is both unsafe and very inconvenient, but the necessary improvements do not appear on the list of priorities of the Ministry of Transportation, headed by anti-Yesha Minister Merav Michaeli of Labor.