Mayor Rabbi Uri Lupoliansky, Municipality Director-General
Eitan Meir, Moriah Managing Director Yaakov Edri,
representatives of the Italian embassy and other
distinguished guests were on hand at an inaugural ceremony
held to mark the completion of excavation work on a new
tunnel leading from Kikar Tzahal near the Old City's Nablus
Gate toward downtown Jerusalem.
The construction of the tunnel constitutes part of the city's
light rail mass transit project. The 500-meter tunnel will
have two lanes of traffic as well as entrance and exit ramps.
The tunnel will be used by vehicles arriving from the south
side of the city and the Jaffa Gate, along with southbound
vehicles from northern parts of the city and including from
Highway 1.
When the tunnel opens it will ease traffic congestion at
Kikar Tzahal and will allow free movement for the light-rail
train on its first line from Pisgat Ze'ev at the north end of
the city via Ramallah Highway, Highway 1, Hatzanchanim Street
(above Kikar Tzahal Tunnel) and from there via Jaffa Road and
Herzl Boulevard to Mount Herzl.
Excavation work took 18 months and cost NIS 60 million ($13
million), including road surfacing and development work. The
work was carried out by Chafirah Vechatzivah Ltd. In
cooperation with Italian company CAC and overseen by Moriah,
the company that executes all of the civil engineering work
for the light-rail project.
Ardan is responsible for the tunnels lighting, fire
extinguishing and climate systems at a cost of NIS 25 million
($6 million). The tunnel will be opened once these systems
are fully installed in another seven months.
Mayor Lupoliansky said, "Despite the difficult economic
situation we experience periodically we do not stop taking
care of developing and the future of the City of
Jerusalem."
