A NIS 25 million budget has been allocated towards ending the ‘siege‘ on the residents of Har Nof, who have been dealing with construction at the entrance to the neighborhood that has had a significant negative impact on area public transportation.

A number of neighborhood activists representing the communities have been conducting meetings with state officials, including Transportation Minister Betzalel Smotrich. The Ministry, along with the Treasury and the Jerusalem Municipality, are allocating NIS 25 million to implement measures to alleviate some of the difficulties experienced by commuters in the area today, measures recommended by the Har Nof representatives.

Some two months ago, the entrance to the community to the Jerusalem Forest Road was closed for construction as a new tunnel is being constructed to improve Route 16, which will eventually lead to a major improvement in the city’s transportation routes. However, this also leaves the neighborhood with only one access, Kanfei Nesharim Street, which was overcrowded while the forest road was operational. The delays experienced by motorists and commuters since then have been significantly increased.

This, in addition to the planned beginning of light rail construction on Kanfei Nesharim, which residents insists will make travel untenable. Residents from a number of communities united and worked to petition that the construction be stopped until solutions that ease the congestion and permit restoring routine are implemented.

Residents’ representative Yisrael Elyasaf, a member of the action committee, thanks Smotrich for being attentive to the reality of the communities impacted, along with thanking Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Leon for his assistance, as well as others involved in seeking a mutually acceptable solution to ease the situation.

Along with his words of thanks, Elyasaf calls on officials to be certain not to resume construction until such time the necessary steps are taken to implement the recommendations of residents towards alleviating the current situation.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)