The highway lanes built on the Coastal Expressway (Road 2) and the Ayalon Expressway (Road 20) will open early next year. Commuters who prefer to travel by public transport on high-speed lane shuttle buses travel at a minimum speed of about 70km/h at rush hour, rather than an average speed of 14km in Ayalon. Those traveling in fast lanes in their own cars pay a triple digit toll.
The Fast Lanes project covers a total of 120 kilometres and in recent years the Netivei Ayalon Co. and the Ministry of Transport have focused on intensive efforts. The new highway lane extends along the Aeron Expressway from the Netanya interchange on the northern coastal road to the Lishon Lezion south. The project costs billions of shekels and is a joint public-private project with the Dan, Electra and Danyasebas consortium.
The project includes major engineering work, including the construction of additional lanes above the Ayalon River. The direction of travel in the lane changes from north to south, or vice versa, depending on the crowds. Over the years, some of the construction of additional lanes has been completed, with the opening of highway lanes serving as pool lanes for buses, taxis and cars.
Thousands of free parking spaces
High-speed lane planners promise a minimum driving speed of 70 km/h per hour throughout the day. This includes the peak times when Ayalon traffic is usually crawled at an average speed of 14 km/h. At the start of these lanes, parking lots with thousands of free parking spaces have been built in Shephaim and Lishon Lezion, from which a free shuttle will depart along the lane to major urban centres.
According to the Ministry of Transport’s draft regulations, free passage of lanes for vehicles with three or more passengers will be given priority. If there is still space in the lane to maintain speed, it will also be open to vehicles that only include drivers who pay NIS 100 or higher for the entire trip.
High pricing reflects the cost of traffic congestion in terms of lost time, air pollution and traffic accidents. In fact, the price guarantees that those who choose to travel in high-speed lanes during rush hour will pay a similar fee for paying a fine for travelling in bus lanes, according to sources involved in the project.
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According to regulations, “The tolls for highways 2 and 20 are not dynamic and are paid upfront the following weekend. According to these roads (regular lanes and various toll lanes), this is done by day, time and user groups.”
“Service to a few people”
As part of the project, the lanes will be split into sections: four Northbounds and three Southbound, but at any time there will be six active sections, two of which will change direction (depending on the direction of Netanya interchange to Shephaim and vice versa). These lanes will be closed to motorcyclists and truck drivers.
The southbound trip is divided into three travel sections, from Netanya Interchange to Gash or Maapilim Interchange. From the endpoints in the previous section to Ma’apilim/Halakhah Interchange. Between the endpoint in the previous section and Wolfson Interchange. For each such section, payments will be between NIS 7 Shekels and NIS 105.
The northbound trip will be divided into four sections as mentioned. From MevoAyalon to Tel Giborim/Hashalom Interchange. From the endpoints in the previous section to Lokach/Herzliya. From the endpoint in the previous section to Ma’Apilim Interchange/Gaash. From the endpoints in the previous section to Netanya Interchange. Again, payments for each such section will also be made between NIS 7 and NIS 105.
According to the protocol, “these lanes will be added to the existing highway lanes on Road 1, which will help congested traffic in the large Tel Aviv metropolitan area.” However, this assumption is controversial. Experts say highway lanes are a huge investment aimed at people living in the suburbs, but by “educating” passengers to continue to drive and drive instead of leaving the house by car instead of leaving the house on public transport, experts say they will serve a small number of people in existing planning situations and perpetuate existing planning situations.
Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Furudai has expressed his firm opposition to continuing the project on Road 5, including the construction of a massive parking lot. The National Planning and Building Council, the Treasury Department and other representatives recently postponed the Road 5 Fast Lane project and in fact shelved it.
Published by Globes, Israel Business News -en.globes.co.il- May 8, 2025.
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