An unprecedented sum of 2.5 billion shekels was invested in Binyamin Roads last year, as part of a large-scale transportation infrastructure revolution currently underway in the area.
This is the largest volume of road work in Judea and Samaria currently underway, with dozens of bulldozers working around the clock and creating a significant change that will affect all residents of the area.
The main and largest project currently underway is the doubling of Highway 60 and Highway 437, from the Hizma checkpoint to the British Police Junction. Over a billion shekels have been invested in this project, and the work is clearly visible on the ground.
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Within a few years, the axis will become a two-lane, two-lane highway, a move that will dramatically improve the quality of travel and the level of safety.
Last week, one of the most ambitious projects in East Binyamin officially launched - Highway 45. The road, which will depart from the Michmash crossing and reach Qalandiya settlement, will create a fast, safe and efficient transportation route from the communities of East Binyamin directly to Highway 443, without the need to enter Jerusalem.
The Moriah Company is currently completing work on the Qalandiya embankment, which is expected to be completed within about two months. At the same time, a dialogue is taking place between the Ministry of National Security and the Ministry of Defense, within the framework of which it will be decided who will operate the crossing and enable a direct connection from the embankment to Highway 443.
In West Binyamin, work to complete the lighting on Binyamin Crossing Road - 465 is nearing completion, with most of the road already lit, for the first time after decades of darkness.
At the same time, extensive work was carried out to expand and renovate most of the roads in the Talmonim Bloc, with an investment of millions of shekels. In addition, work is currently underway to expand Highway 450 between Nahaliel and Neve Tzuf.
Highway 446 was recently doubled to a two-lane, two-lane highway, a move that has already dramatically improved traffic flow in the area, although the work is not yet fully completed.
During a visit by Transportation Minister Miri Regev to the site, she instructed the relevant authorities to do everything in their power to complete the work as soon as possible.
Upon completion of the project, the road will have three lanes in each direction, including a designated lane for public transportation.
Alongside the widening of the roads, extensive work is also being carried out at risk points. Following a series of significant actions, most of the intersections that posed a real danger to passers-by have been addressed. Just a few weeks ago, a traffic light was completed at the Ma'ale Jericho intersection, and work is currently underway at the Ofarim intersection, which will make the intersection safer and more efficient for drivers.
Head of the Binyamin Council and Chairman of the Yesha Council, Yisrael Gantz: "Upon taking office, I made it clear that the way to bring a million residents to Judea and Samaria is by improving the infrastructure and comparing it to that inside the Green Line, and to my delight, the results in Binyamin are already visible on the ground. We are not content with just statements and VIP visits, but are proving every day that real change is possible and can be made.".
