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NEWS
Jerusalem Municipality Inaugurates New Approach Road To The
Western Wall
By Betzalel Kahn
After two years of planning and construction, the Jerusalem
Municipality inaugurated a new approach road to the Western
Wall, linking West Jerusalem with the Old City. Access to the
new road is either from the Sultan's Pool area by way of the
Ben Hinom Valley, or from the crossroads of the Abu Tor
neighborhood. The road leads to the Dung Gate and also
affords access to the City of David, the Siloam Pool and
Har Hazeisim.
Work on the new road that runs through the Ben Hinom Valley,
down the slope of the National Park, was carried out for the
municipality by the Company for the Development of East
Jerusalem, at a total cost of twenty-two million shekels. In
the project's final stage the road was upgraded to carry two-
way traffic, lighting was installed and sidewalks were laid.
A major underground drainage route was also installed and the
wadi underwent a general draining, at a total cost of
five million shekels.
Attending this week's inauguration of the new road were Mayor
Uri Lupoliansky, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of
Transport Shaul Mofaz, Minister of Tourism Yitzchak
Aharonovitz and Gideon Shamir, Director of the Company for
the Development of East Jerusalem. The mayor, who was one of
the project's instigators, said that he believed that the new
road would significantly lessen the pressure of traffic and
the jams on the way to the Old City and the Western Wall and
that it would constitute a fitting response to the increased
flow of visitors to these places.
The project incorporated the removal of tens of thousands of
tons of refuse and waste from the area, which underwent a
thorough cleansing. Reconstruction work included signposting
the paths leading from the area of the Sultan's Pool to the
outskirts of the Arab village of Siloam, building terracing
on the hillsides to prevent soil erosion, planting thousands
of trees, returning the site's ancient scenic beauty and
connecting the valley to the Jerusalem Path, which is part of
the Israel Path. The new path leads from the area of the Ben
Hinom Valley, to the Kidron Valley and the Tsurim Park. The
Municipal Tourism Authority intends to create a continuous
path from the neighborhood of West Jerusalem, passing the
Ministry of Education and ultimately leading to the
Municipality Plaza.
The mayor noted that the work done in the region is part of a
comprehensive plan for the areas surrounding the Old City, in
the framework of which all the open spaces around the city
walls are to undergo improvement.
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