New public transportation lane aims to ease Jerusalem traffic
Jerusalem traffic has been particularly dense after Jerusalem authorities shut one of the primary routes into the city for an estimated three-year period.
By EYTAN HALONBefore and after the construction of a new public transportation lane along Jerusalem's Begin Boulevard(photo credit: JERUSALEM TRANSPORT MASTER TEAM)
The Ministry of Transportation, Jerusalem Municipality and the Jerusalem Transportation Master Plan Team have finalized plans to construct a public transportation lane along Jerusalem's Begin Boulevard.The new lane aims to reduce trafficalong one of the city’s key thoroughfares, giving priority to public transit, and will be constructed along the existing road shoulder. The boulevard will then be widened to include an additional hard shoulder.The city’s Moriah Jerusalem Development Corporation (MJDC) published a tender recently for the initial 2.5-km.-long phase of the project. Once complete, the bus way will stretch for 18 km.In addition to building and paving an additional lane, work will include the addition of traffic control and information signs, lighting and new safety barriers.Initial work will be carried out southbound along Begin Boulevard between the Ben-Zion Netanyahu Interchange and the Golda Meir Interchange in Ramot.“The Jerusalem Municipality is determined to advance infrastructure for public transportation,” said Mayor Moshe Lion.“The construction of the public transportation lane along Begin Boulevard will enable faster entry into Jerusalem from the north, and later from the south, for public transportation passengers,” he said. “These projects join a series of other projects we are currently promoting throughout the city for the benefit of its residents and visitors. We will continue to advance the city’s infrastructure for more efficient, ‘greener’ and more modern transportation.”Construction work done by MJDC, estimated to commence by the end of this year, is expected to take 12 months and cost approximately NIS 30 million. Temporary changes to traffic arrangements will be made along the route during construction.In July, Jerusalem authorities shut one of the primary routes into the capital for an estimated three-year period. Shazar Boulevard, a major road entering Jerusalem from Route 1 at the city’s northwest edge, will be blocked for all private vehicles from the Chords Bridge to the corner of Nordau Street until 2022.The closure is part of the second stage of the Jerusalem Gateway Project, an ambitious plan to turn the city entrance into one of the country’s leading business hubs.
Most traffic entering the city has been redirected to Yitzhak Rabin Boulevard, which was widened ahead of the closure. Public transportation is continuing along Shazar Boulevard as usual, unaffected by the construction and tunneling work.
