The project to connect northern and southern Jerusalem is underway as work began on the new French Hill Junction. The project includes a level separation using a network of tunnels with a total length of 3.5km (2.1 miles). The investment in the project is approximately NIS 1 billion. The duration of the construction will be about four years.

The project will reduce traffic congestion in the Naomi Shemer Tunnel, and it will enable continuous travel from Jerusalem to Maale Adumim without traffic lights.

Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Leon explains the project “is a strategic transportation project of great importance, constituting a real message for the residents of the northern Jerusalem neighborhoods. The city of Jerusalem is in the midst of a tremendous transportation and infrastructure boom throughout the city, promoted by the Jerusalem Municipality and the Ministry of Transportation, with an unprecedented scope of implementation and investments in the billions of shekels for the benefit of t he residents of Jerusalem”.

The French Hill Junction project is the largest and most significant transportation project in the northern capital in recent years. It includes a level separation that will permit bypassing three major junctions; French Hill Junction, Kevarim Junction and Coca Cola Junction, which will be accomplished by constructing two two-lane tunnels with a total length of 3.5 kilometers, from east to west and back to the direction of Maale Adumim and another one-lane tunnel from Ramot to Pisgat Ze’ev and N’vei Yaakov and back. The estimated NIS 1 billion project will take four years to complete.

French Hill Junction is one of the busiest in the city, with tens of thousands of vehicles passing through daily.

This is one of several major transportation projects underway in Jerusalem today, and it will significantly improve travel for residents of the northern capital and Maale Adumim. The tunnels will ease congestion and increase transportation accessibility in the area, reduce congestion in the Naomi Shemer Tunnel and enable continues travel to Maale Adumim without traffic signals.

Another major objective is that upon completion of the project, the light rail crossing at French Hill Junction will be given full priority as part of the promotion and upgrading of the public transportation system in the northern part of the city. In addition, a parking lot will be established at Nachal Tzofim, adjacent to the junction and the light rail station, a parking lot that will be able to accommodate some 1000 vehicles, enabling commuters entering the city to park and then take advantage of the light rail system.

Phase one of the project includes the expansion of the traffic arteries adjacent to the junction and the preparation of the necessary infrastructure for the construction of the tunnels, that will mark the beginning of phase two of the project.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem/Photo Credit: Mordegan, Courtesy of Moriah)