The City of Jerusalem is set to begin a project to widen the
Bar Ilan intersection, where every day tens of thousands of
drivers entering the city from the north face delays. The
decision was reached after several pedestrians were killed
and dozens injured due to traffic accidents in the area.
The changes are expected to significantly accelerate the flow
of traffic in the area by alleviating bottlenecks and paving
special lanes in both directions for public transportation,
thereby creating a central artery down the middle of the road
leading to Ramot, Sanhedria, Givat Moshe, Geula, Meah Shearim
and the city center. In addition there will be two lanes and
wide, safe pedestrian sidewalks designed to accommodate the
heavy volume of foot traffic, with an emphasis on
facilitating stroller access.
The work to upgrade the intersection will contribute greatly
to the quality of life and traffic in the area of one of
Jerusalem's busiest intersections, which also serves as one
of the city's main gateways and a vibrant commercial
center.
The municipality notes that the intersection as it now is
poses a serious safety hazard. During the past three years it
has been the scene of 11 accidents with injuries, including
several fatalities. Because of the narrow sidewalks women are
often forced to edge out into the street, endangering
themselves and their children.
The new traffic arrangements will give priority to public
transportation, will solve the safety problems and the
limited field of view and will contribute toward reducing
traffic accidents and their severity, which is particularly
important in light of the large number of buses passing
through every day.
During the past several months construction work has been
underway to widen Derech Golda Meir from Ramot to the Givat
Moshe intersection, and in the coming days a contractor will
begin work on Rechov Shmuel Hanovi from Yechezkel to Rechov
Bar Ilan.
The removal of the stores at Tzomet Sanhedria and the
widening of the bottleneck will allow the completion of
construction work on the segment of the road between Har
Chotzvim and Rechov Yechezkel. It became possible only after
the courts rejected all of the legal proceedings initiated by
storekeepers and property owners at Tzomet Sanhedria and
after the High Court decided that the removal should not be
delayed further. The court rejected requests to postpone
their removal, saying "delaying the execution of the ruling
causes the public very heavy damage manifested in traffic
jams and parking problems, air pollution and noise pollution,
disturbance and danger to pedestrians and damage to the
nearby businesses."
