Highway 1 (Israel–Palestine)

Highway 1 passing under Route 412 at Shapirim Interchange

Highway 1 (Hebrew: כביש 1), is the main highway connecting Tel Aviv with Jerusalem. Highway 1 continues into the West Bank past Ma'ale Adummim, and is then downgraded in size until the Beit HaArava Junction with Route 90 south of Jericho near the shores of the Dead Sea.

The highway is heavily congested, especially at the entrances to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. The section between Sha'ar HaGai and Jerusalem is also congested at times because of the many accidents and breakdowns caused by the high slopes and winding nature of this section. Trucks might also cause slow downs on this narrow four-lane section.

History

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 advantageous 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, a new interchange was built near the village of Kfar Daniel and a section of the freeway was widened to eight lanes.

Interchange between Highway 1 and Jerusalem Route 9, during construction

Motza Interchange opened in 1990 and Sha'ar HaGai Interchange opened in 1995. In 1998 the left turns in Kiryat Anavim Junction were closed and 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.

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 Interchange, opened in 2002, connecting the highway through a tunnel under Mount Scopus towards central Jerusalem and the Hebrew University. 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 Yigal Yadin road, the stretch has divided lanes, but includes three at-grade intersection alongside its interchanges.

Jerusalem Route 9

Twin tunnels and bridges on Jerusalem Route 9

In 2001, Moriah, the Jerusalem Development Company, started building a bypass of the city's oft-congested western entrance, designated as part of Jerusalem Route 9. The 3.6 km road descends from the purpose-built Sha'ar Moriah interchange to allow continuous separate grade access to Yigael Yadin Interchanges 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 originally scheduled for completion in early 2005, work was slowed to a near halt between 2003 and 2006 and the project's completion was postponed for over two years.

Route 9 was scheduled for opening on May 21, 2007, however the opening was postponed for over two months due to Moriah's failure to complete the required environmental mitigation. On July 17, 2007 Moriah was given permission to open the highway, under the condition that the company, as well as the City of Jerusalem, provide guarantees that the environmental mitigation will be completed after the opening. Route 9 finally opened on July 25, 2007.

Future plans

Heavy construction work is currently taking place along the eastern section of the highway, to widen the road to four lanes between Ma'ale Adummim and Jericho.

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.

Anava Interchange is currently under construction, designed to connect the highway with Route 431, a new suburban freeway south of the Tel Aviv metropolitan area. The interchange is scheduled for completion in mid-2008.

To relieve congestion at the entrance to Tel Aviv, an express toll lane is being 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. Shapir Engineering started the construction of the park and ride facility in August 2007 and the project is scheduled for completion by early 2010.

The section between Sha'ar HaGai and Jerusalem is in desperate need of an upgrade, including adding an additional lane in each direction and straightening the many curves. A plan to upgrade the highway had been recently approved by the Committee on National Projects. According to this plan, a long bridge at the Moza curve and a tunnel under the Castel Mountain will be built. The soil extracted from the tunnel will then be used to widen the Shoresh - Sha'ar HaGai section, raising the road by five meters to create a wider roadbed. Work is expected to begin in 2009 and last for three and a half years, at a cost of 2.5 billion NIS ($600 million US). However, it is highly unlikely that this project will be carried out, as the Shoresh - Sha'ar HaGai section passes through a sensitive nature reserve. Also, the budget for this project has not yet been approved.

Interchanges

km	Name	Type	Meaning	Location	Road(s) Crossed
Tel Aviv - Jerusalem Highway
0	מחלף קיבוץ גלויות (Kibutz Galuyot Interchange)		Diaspora Ingathering	Tel Aviv	File:ISR-HW2 red.PNGFile:ISR-HW20.PNG (Highway 2/Ayalon Highway/Route 461)
4	מחלף גנות (Ganot Interchange)		Named after location	Ganot	(Highway 4)
6	מחלף שפירים (Shapirim Interchange)		Fresh water	Beit Dagan	(Route 412)
12	מחלף בן גוריון (Ben Gurion Interchange)		Named after location	Ben Gurion Intl. Airport	File:ISR-HW4503.PNG (Road 4503)
13	מחלף לוד (Lod Interchange)		Named after location	Lod	(Highway 40)
17	מחלף בן שמן (Ben Shemen Interchange)		Named after location	Ben Shemen	(Highway 6 north-bound/Route 443/Route 444)
21	מחלף דניאל (Daniel Interchange)		Named after location	Kfar Daniel	(Highway 6 south-bound)
Under construction
23	מחלף ענבה (Anava Interchange)		Berry	Kfar Shmuel	(Route 431)
31	מחלף לטרון (Latrun Interchange)		Named after location	Latrun	(Highway 3)
35	מחלף שער הגיא (Sha'ar HaGai Interchange)		Named after location	Sha'ar HaGai	File:ISR-HW38.PNG (Highway 38)
41	מחלף שורש (Shoresh Interchange)		Named after location	Shoresh	File:ISR-HW3955.PNG (Road 3955)
42	מחלף קרית יערים (Kiryat Ye'arim Interchange)		Named after location; only from East/to West	Kiryat Ye'arim	File:ISR-HW425.PNG (Route 425)
46	מחלף חמד (Hemed Interchange)		Named after location	Abu Ghosh, Ein Hemed park	File:ISR-HW3975.PNG (Road 3975)
50	מחלף הראל (Har'el Interchange)		Named after Har'el Brigade	Mevaseret Zion	File:ISR-HW3985.PNG (Road 3985)
52	מחלף מוצא (Motza Interchange)		Named after location	Jerusalem Motza neighbourhood	Sorek st.
53	מחלף שער מוריה (Sha'ar Moriah Interchange)		Moriah Gate	Jerusalem Romema neighbourhood; only from/to West	Ben Gurion Ave.
56	מחלף יגאל ידין (Yigael Yadin Interchange)		Named after Yigael Yadin	Jerusalem Ramot neighbourhood	File:ISR-HW404.PNG (Begin Expressway)
57	צומת רמת שלמה (Ramat Shlomo Junction)		Named after location	Jerusalem Ramat Shlomo neighbourhood	Rabbi Druck st.
59	מחלף שער מזרח (Sha'ar Mizrah Interchange)		Eastern Gate	Jerusalem Pisgat Ze'ev neighbourhood	(Highway 60)
Jericho Road
63	מחלף הזיתים (HaZeitim Interchange)		The Olives	Jerusalem Mount Scopus; only from/to East	El-Hardub st.
68	מחלף אדומים (Adummim Interchange)		Named after location	Ma'ale Adummim	File:ISR-HW417.PNG (Route 417)
73				Ma'ale Adummim Industrial Zone	File:ISR-HW437.PNG (Route 437)
76	צומת אלון (Alon Junction)		Named after location	Alon	File:ISR-HW458.PNG (Route 458)
82	צומת מצפה יריחו (Mitzpe Yeriho Junction)		Named after location	Mitzpe Yeriho	Local road
90	צומת אלמוג (Almog Junction)		Named after location	Jericho, Almog	Local road
94	צומת בית הערבה (Beit HaArava Junction)		Named after location	Beit HaArava	File:ISR-HW90.PNG (Highway 90)