Government unveils ambitious upper level plan for Route 6

A plan to resolve congestion on a key highway traversing the country would see dozens of kilometers of elevated roadway added to speed up travel and reclaim lost hours, the Transportation Ministry said in a statement Wednesday.

Elevated sections would be installed along Route 6, a toll road that runs from the north to the south and becomes jammed daily as over 260,000 people use it.

“Just like in advanced nations around the world, for us, transportation routes can develop height,” Transportation Minister Miri Regev said in a statement announcing the plan.

Similar projects have been implemented in Japan, Dubai, and the US.

The project is estimated to take five years and to cost NIS 5 billion ($1.48 billion). A total of 48 kilometers (30 miles) of elevated highway will be added over the most congested sections of the road. In the north, a 16-kilometer section will run between the Nahshonim Interchange and the Eyal Interchange, while in the south, 32 kilometers of new highway will rise above the existing road between the Baqa-Jatt Interchange and the Horshim Interchange.

There will be two elevated highways, one in each direction. They will carry two lanes each, with an additional lane for public transportation and carpooling.

A budget of NIS 3 million ($880,000) has already been provided for statutory planning and engineering plans, the ministry said.

The ministry is working to raise the full amount needed from the Finance Ministry and potential toll road operators.

Work will begin when the funds and necessary approvals are obtained, the ministry said.

Cross Israel Highway Ltd, which operates Route 6, estimates that the new lanes would save 36,000 hours a day of road users’ travel time.

The Transportation Ministry estimated the total impact on the economy to be some NIS 110 million ($32 million) per year.

“This is a smart and creative solution that enables doubling the road capacity without harming the view, nature, and valuable land reserves,” Regev said.

It will be, she said, “really good news for the residents of the north, center and south.”

However, not everyone is convinced by the plan.

Amiram Strulov, a transportation expert who is affiliated with the opposition Labor Party, criticized it, arguing to Channel 12 news that it has been known for decades that adding more roads doesn’t solve transportation problems, as vehicle purchases outstrip the rate at which the new roads can relieve congestion.

Strulov claimed that congestion can be reduced by half within a year without “megalomaniac projects and crazy costs.” The solution, he said, is “attractive, fast, inviting public transportation.”

In the meantime, the Transportation Ministry noted that work is continuing on widening 60 kilometers of Route 6 and making the highway longer. The current regular highway is 188 kilometers in length and will be stretched to 220 kilometers when those projects are finished.