The ministerial committee yesterday approved a plan to upgrade the section of Highway 1 from Shaar HaGay until Jerusalem. The upgrade will include additional lanes, an 800 meter long tunnel, a new exit ramp by Mevasseret Tzion and will cost 2.5 billion shekels. It is meant to be completed in 2016.

5 more years of sitting in this and then you'll fly

Much of this highway is 2 lanes in each direction and the traffic during rush hour, and often even during non-rush hour times, is bumper to bumper. If there is any road that needed to be upgraded, besides for Highway 38, it is Highway 1. Unfortunately, it means that in the short-term of 5 years at least, for the greater good and long-term benefit, expect traffic to Jerusalem to be even worse because of the roadworks.

According to the report, a number of nature preservation organizations, along with various municipalities (such as Mevasseret, Bet Shemesh, Mateh Yehuda, Har Adar and Bau Ghosh) in the area have filed protests saying this is irresponsible and will harm the quality of life of 200,000 residents who live on the outskirts of Jerusalem, along with the environmental problem of destroying the landscape of the region.

While I am not sure how certain municipalities can file such a complaint when they themselves are pushing for highways leading up to their own cities to be upgraded and expanded, which would cause similar problems, the complaints were files, and were rejected by the committee. Green is nice, but people have to live. The trip on the highway to Jerusalem is unbearable at many times during the day.  If they can come up with a plan to do the work while causing minimal damage, that would be great.

Now we need them to approve the plan to upgrade Highway 38...