Highway 16 (or Ariel Sharon Blvd[1]) is a highway at the western entrance to Jerusalem providing direct access to the southern and central sections of the city from the west. Most of the road is located inside newly built tunnels. The project cost approximately 1.5 billion shekels,[2][3][4][5][6] and was inaugurated a year ahead of schedule on 31 August 2022.[7]
Nahal Revida InterchangeView west across Nahal Revida Valley Site of the future Nahal Revida InterchangeConstruction works for the Har Nof tunnel, photograph taken from Jerusalem ForestConstruction works for the Yefe Nof tunnel and the Beyth intersection. In the background, left to right: Bayit VeGan neighborhood, Shaare Zedek hospital, Ramat Beit Hakerem neighborhood
The highway connects Highway 1 at the new Motza Interchange and Jerusalem's Highway 50 (Begin Boulevard) at Givat Mordechai Interchange. The road travels mostly through a series of tunnels under the west Jerusalem neighborhoods of Har Nof and Yefeh Nof and the parking lots of Shaare Zedek Medical Center. In the center, an above ground interchange was built in the valley of Nahal Revida (Revida Stream) adjacent to the Pi Glilot Fuel Terminal to connect to Derech Yosef Weitz leading to Givat Shaul. The road was constructed as a four lane freeway with a speed limit of 80 km/h.
HistoryEdit
The road was first proposed in the 1990s. Originally, the road was supposed to skirt around the western and southern slopes of Har Nof before entering a tunnel at Nahal Revida continuing eastward under Yefeh Nof. This would have created nearly a kilometer of fully open road through the Jerusalem Forest. This plan was met with stiff opposition by the Jewish National Fund and a variety of "Green" groups due to ecological damage to the forest. As a result, the plan was changed to include a tunnel under Har Nof with an intermediate above-ground interchange at Nahal Revida.[8]
The program was stopped in 2003 to conduct environmental studies and consider an alternative to the Nahal Revida Interchange. By the end of 2007, the National Infrastructure Committee decided to adopt the plan pending clarifications and public review. In 2010, the plan again moved forward with an indemnity agreement between the Jerusalem Municipality and the Israel Ministry of Transport. At the same time, responsibility for building the road was shifted from the Moriah Jerusalem Development Corporation to the National Roads Company of Israel. Economic and environmental studies were updated. A plan to build the road as one long tunnel with Nahal Ravida Interchange underground was rejected both for economic reasons and because of the need for massive ventilation facilities that would cause greater environmental damage to the forest.[8]
The plan was approved in 2011, again with further delays pending public review.[9] At the end of 2012, according to the National Roads Company, the plan has been approved and budgeted. After many delays, the contract for construction was finally awarded in August 2018, with construction expected to begin in 2019 and last through 2023.[6]
Following the death of Talmudic scholar and former SephardiChief Rabbi of IsraelOvadia Yosef in 2013, Israeli Minister of Transport Yisrael Katz announced that the road would be named in his honor.[10] However, the Jerusalem Municipality Names Committee, which has jurisdiction in the matter, declared in 2017 that the road would be named in honor of former Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon.[11]
Construction AccidentEdit
On June 7, 2021, a portion of the Shaare Zedek hospital's external parking lot collapsed.[12] Seven parked cars fell into the sinkhole, which was deep enough to "swallow" a whole palm tree vertically, as well.[13][14] There were no reported victims, either killed or wounded. A cave or space between the ground and excavated tunnel seems to be the cause of the sinkhole.[15] Later, in August, Netivei Israel's spokesman said "We are exercising responsibility by repairing the hole", adding "responsibility is not guilt" because "there is also a separate issue regarding water from the Gihon water company that had permeated the ground due to insufficient drainage. It is also possible that we will never know the cause.".[16]
CriticismEdit
Critics of the project note that because the road currently ends at a traffic light, it creates heavy congestion inside the city. To partially overcome this, a set of tunnels that will enable a more direct connection to Begin highway are expected to be completed in the late-2020s. Other criticism include the project's very large budget which could have been used to advance public transportation instead. Building of the project significantly disrupted the Motza and Revida valleys' natural habitat as well as large pre-historic archeological site which was discovered and subsequently reburied.[17]
Interchanges (west to east)Edit
This article contains a bulleted list or table of intersections which should be presented in a properly formatted junction table. Please consult this guideline for information on how to create one. Please improve this article if you can.(September 2022)
^Liran Tamari (2022-08-31). "פרסום ראשון: המשטרה מתנגדת לפתיחת כביש 16" [First publication: Police oppose opening of Route 16]. mynetjerusalem (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2022-08-31.
^. Israel Ministry of Transport, National Infrastructure & Road Safety. Archived from the original on 2013-10-15. Retrieved 2012-12-02. (in Hebrew)
^. National Roads Company of Israel. Archived from the original on 2013-10-11. Retrieved 2012-12-02.(in Hebrew)
^"Roads Planned and Under Construstion". Jerusalem Transport Master Plan Committee. Retrieved 2011-08-23.(in Hebrew)
^"Jerusalem Transportation Network-map". Jerusalem Transport Master Plan Committee. Archived from the original on 2012-12-18. Retrieved 2011-08-23. (in Hebrew)
^ ab"כביש 16 - ציר הגישה הנוסף לירושלים: נבחרה זוכה במכרז" [Route 16 – the additional access road to Jerusalem: Winner of the tender selected] (in Hebrew). 30 August 2018.
^"Route 16 is inaugurated, serving as a new entrance to Jerusalem". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 2022-08-31.
^ ab. Forum of Organizations for the Jerusalem Forest. Archived from the original on 2011-08-09. Retrieved 2012-12-02.
^Sharon Udasin (2011-07-12). "Ministry okays paving road, cutting J'lem-TA travel time". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
^Gil Ronen (2011-10-13). "New Jerusalem Road to be Named after Rabbi Ovadia". Arutz Sheva. Retrieved 2013-10-14.
^Meirav Arad (2017-12-28). "The new entrance road to Jerusalem will be named after Ariel Sharon". Arutz Sheva. Retrieved 2018-06-15.
^Jerusalem Post Staff (2021-06-07). "WATCH: Parking lot collapses into sinkhole at Jerusalem's Shaare Zedek". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2021-06-07.
^Alon Hachmon (2021-06-07). "View Documentation: A parking lot collapsed at Shaare Zedek Hospital in Jerusalem". Maariv (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2021-06-07.
^"Watch sinkhole swallow up parked cars in Jerusalem". CNN. 2021-06-08. Retrieved 2021-06-08.
^Jerusalem Post Staff (2021-06-08). "Shaare Zedek sinkhole caused by highway tunnel excavations - report". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2021-06-08.
^Zev Stub (2021-08-17). "Two months after Shaare Zedek sinkhole, still no answers". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
^Nir Hasson. המדינה תפתח היום כביש גישה חדש לירושלים, וכבר מתחילה להכיר בטעותה [The state will open a new access road to Jerusalem today, and is already beginning to recognize its mistake]. Haaretz (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2022-08-31.
External linksEdit
Road 16 Position and Elevation Diagrams[permanent dead link] PDF on National Roads Company of Israel website (in Hebrew)
Road 16 Environmental impact statement[permanent dead link] PDF on National Roads Company of Israel website (in Hebrew)
Plan documents 2013-10-11 at the Wayback Machine for National Infrastructure Plan 2 (Road 16)
jerusalem, road, highway, ariel, sharon, blvd, highway, western, entrance, jerusalem, providing, direct, access, southern, central, sections, city, from, west, most, road, located, inside, newly, built, tunnels, project, cost, approximately, billion, shekels, . Highway 16 or Ariel Sharon Blvd 1 is a highway at the western entrance to Jerusalem providing direct access to the southern and central sections of the city from the west Most of the road is located inside newly built tunnels The project cost approximately 1 5 billion shekels 2 3 4 5 6 and was inaugurated a year ahead of schedule on 31 August 2022 7 Highway 16כביש 16Route informationLength4 7 km 2 9 mi HistoryOpened 2022Major junctionswest endMotza InterchangeMajor intersectionsNahal Revida InterchangeBeyth Interchangeeast endGivat MordechaiLocationCountryIsraelHighway systemRoads in IsraelHighwaysNahal Revida InterchangeView west across Nahal Revida ValleySite of the future Nahal Revida InterchangeConstruction works for the Har Nof tunnel photograph taken from Jerusalem ForestConstruction works for the Yefe Nof tunnel and the Beyth intersection In the background left to right Bayit VeGan neighborhood Shaare Zedek hospital Ramat Beit Hakerem neighborhood Contents 1 Highway 2 History 3 Construction Accident 4 Criticism 5 Interchanges west to east 6 References 7 External linksHighway EditThe highway connects Highway 1 at the new Motza Interchange and Jerusalem s Highway 50 Begin Boulevard at Givat Mordechai Interchange The road travels mostly through a series of tunnels under the west Jerusalem neighborhoods of Har Nof and Yefeh Nof and the parking lots of Shaare Zedek Medical Center In the center an above ground interchange was built in the valley of Nahal Revida Revida Stream adjacent to the Pi Glilot Fuel Terminal to connect to Derech Yosef Weitz leading to Givat Shaul The road was constructed as a four lane freeway with a speed limit of 80 km h History EditThe road was first proposed in the 1990s Originally the road was supposed to skirt around the western and southern slopes of Har Nof before entering a tunnel at Nahal Revida continuing eastward under Yefeh Nof This would have created nearly a kilometer of fully open road through the Jerusalem Forest This plan was met with stiff opposition by the Jewish National Fund and a variety of Green groups due to ecological damage to the forest As a result the plan was changed to include a tunnel under Har Nof with an intermediate above ground interchange at Nahal Revida 8 The program was stopped in 2003 to conduct environmental studies and consider an alternative to the Nahal Revida Interchange By the end of 2007 the National Infrastructure Committee decided to adopt the plan pending clarifications and public review In 2010 the plan again moved forward with an indemnity agreement between the Jerusalem Municipality and the Israel Ministry of Transport At the same time responsibility for building the road was shifted from the Moriah Jerusalem Development Corporation to the National Roads Company of Israel Economic and environmental studies were updated A plan to build the road as one long tunnel with Nahal Ravida Interchange underground was rejected both for economic reasons and because of the need for massive ventilation facilities that would cause greater environmental damage to the forest 8 The plan was approved in 2011 again with further delays pending public review 9 At the end of 2012 according to the National Roads Company the plan has been approved and budgeted After many delays the contract for construction was finally awarded in August 2018 with construction expected to begin in 2019 and last through 2023 6 Following the death of Talmudic scholar and former Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel Ovadia Yosef in 2013 Israeli Minister of Transport Yisrael Katz announced that the road would be named in his honor 10 However the Jerusalem Municipality Names Committee which has jurisdiction in the matter declared in 2017 that the road would be named in honor of former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon 11 Construction Accident EditOn June 7 2021 a portion of the Shaare Zedek hospital s external parking lot collapsed 12 Seven parked cars fell into the sinkhole which was deep enough to swallow a whole palm tree vertically as well 13 14 There were no reported victims either killed or wounded A cave or space between the ground and excavated tunnel seems to be the cause of the sinkhole 15 Later in August Netivei Israel s spokesman said We are exercising responsibility by repairing the hole adding responsibility is not guilt because there is also a separate issue regarding water from the Gihon water company that had permeated the ground due to insufficient drainage It is also possible that we will never know the cause 16 Criticism EditCritics of the project note that because the road currently ends at a traffic light it creates heavy congestion inside the city To partially overcome this a set of tunnels that will enable a more direct connection to Begin highway are expected to be completed in the late 2020s Other criticism include the project s very large budget which could have been used to advance public transportation instead Building of the project significantly disrupted the Motza and Revida valleys natural habitat as well as large pre historic archeological site which was discovered and subsequently reburied 17 Interchanges west to east EditThis article contains a bulleted list or table of intersections which should be presented in a properly formatted junction table Please consult this guideline for information on how to create one Please improve this article if you can September 2022 km Name Type Meaning Location Road s Crossed0 מחלף מוצא Motza Interchange Origin Motza Beit Zayit Highway 11 2 Har Nof tunnel4 lanes 1 5 km under Har Nof2 8 מחלף נחל רבידה Nahal Revida Interchange Revida Stream Givat Shaul Derech Yosef Weitz 2 9 Yefe Nof tunnel4 lanes 1 3 km under Yefeh Nof amp parking lots ofShaare ZedekMedical Center4 2 מחלף בייט Beyth Interchange named afterHans Shmuel Beyth Ramat Beit HaKerem Bayit Vegan Shmuel Beyth St 4 7 מחלף גבעת מרדכי Givat Mordechai Interchange Mordechai s Hill Givat Mordechai Highway 50 Begin Boulevard Bezalel Bazak St References Edit Liran Tamari 2022 08 31 פרסום ראשון המשטרה מתנגדת לפתיחת כביש 16 First publication Police oppose opening of Route 16 mynetjerusalem in Hebrew Retrieved 2022 08 31 Road 16 New entrance to Jerusalem between Motza and Begin Highway Israel Ministry of Transport National Infrastructure amp Road Safety Archived from the original on 2013 10 15 Retrieved 2012 12 02 in Hebrew Road 16 Between the Motaz Curve and Begin Highway in Jerusalem National Roads Company of Israel Archived from the original on 2013 10 11 Retrieved 2012 12 02 in Hebrew Roads Planned and Under Construstion Jerusalem Transport Master Plan Committee Retrieved 2011 08 23 in Hebrew Jerusalem Transportation Network map Jerusalem Transport Master Plan Committee Archived from the original on 2012 12 18 Retrieved 2011 08 23 in Hebrew a b כביש 16 ציר הגישה הנוסף לירושלים נבחרה זוכה במכרז Route 16 the additional access road to Jerusalem Winner of the tender selected in Hebrew 30 August 2018 Route 16 is inaugurated serving as a new entrance to Jerusalem The Times of Israel Retrieved 2022 08 31 a b Save the Jerusalem Forest Road 16 Forum of Organizations for the Jerusalem Forest Archived from the original on 2011 08 09 Retrieved 2012 12 02 Sharon Udasin 2011 07 12 Ministry okays paving road cutting J lem TA travel time The Jerusalem Post Retrieved 2013 07 22 Gil Ronen 2011 10 13 New Jerusalem Road to be Named after Rabbi Ovadia Arutz Sheva Retrieved 2013 10 14 Meirav Arad 2017 12 28 The new entrance road to Jerusalem will be named after Ariel Sharon Arutz Sheva Retrieved 2018 06 15 Jerusalem Post Staff 2021 06 07 WATCH Parking lot collapses into sinkhole at Jerusalem s Shaare Zedek The Jerusalem Post Retrieved 2021 06 07 Alon Hachmon 2021 06 07 View Documentation A parking lot collapsed at Shaare Zedek Hospital in Jerusalem Maariv in Hebrew Retrieved 2021 06 07 Watch sinkhole swallow up parked cars in Jerusalem CNN 2021 06 08 Retrieved 2021 06 08 Jerusalem Post Staff 2021 06 08 Shaare Zedek sinkhole caused by highway tunnel excavations report The Jerusalem Post Retrieved 2021 06 08 Zev Stub 2021 08 17 Two months after Shaare Zedek sinkhole still no answers The Jerusalem Post Retrieved 2021 08 17 Nir Hasson המדינה תפתח היום כביש גישה חדש לירושלים וכבר מתחילה להכיר בטעותה The state will open a new access road to Jerusalem today and is already beginning to recognize its mistake Haaretz in Hebrew Retrieved 2022 08 31 External links EditRoad 16 Position and Elevation Diagrams permanent dead link PDF on National Roads Company of Israel website in Hebrew Road 16 Environmental impact statement permanent dead link PDF on National Roads Company of Israel website in Hebrew Plan documents Archived 2013 10 11 at the Wayback Machine for National Infrastructure Plan 2 Road 16 31 46 44 N 35 10 51 E 31 77889 N 35 18083 E 31 77889 35 18083 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Jerusalem Road 16 amp oldid 1159195553, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
