A new 10 kilometer stretch of Road 38 linking Beit Shemesh with the Tel Aviv - Jerusalem highway (Road 1) will be fully completed next month. The road includes two lanes in each direction and the current speed limit of 70 kilometers per-hour will be raised to 90 kilometers per hour.
The NIS 800 million project includes interchanges at the Shimshon junction, Mesillat Zion and Har Tov, which have already been completed as well as two railways bridges, pedestrian bridges and an ecological bridge near Mesillat Zion to allow wildlife to cross the highway. Lighting has been added to the entire length of the new highway.
Completion of the project follows hard on the hills of the opening of the new six lane highway linking Shaar Hagai, the point where Road 38 meets Road 1, with Jerusalem. Traveling between Beit Shemesh and Tel Aviv will remain difficult with severe congestion on Road 1, especially during rush hours.
The improved road is a vital part of the planned infrastructure while will allow Beit Shemesh to double in size in the coming years. In April, the government signed an umbrella agreement approving a masterplan for 17,000 new homes in the city. When the plan is completed in the years to come, Beit Shemesh will more than double in size from 104,000 residents today and become one of only seven cities in Israel with more than 200,000 residents.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on June 21, 2017
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