Transportation Minister Miri Regev inaugurated today (Wednesday) upgraded sections of Highway 90 in the southern section near the Menucha Intersection, and held a professional review of the continued work to upgrade the highway, together with the Director General of her office Moshe Ben Zaken, Eilat Mayor Eli Lankari, the Head of the Arava Tikhona Regional Council Meir Tzur, the CEO of Netivei Israel Company Nissim Peretz, and other senior officials.
The event was held as part of ongoing monitoring of the progress of the Highway 90 upgrade project - the longest highway in Israel, which connects Eilat and the Arava to the center of the country, and which has been undergoing a large-scale infrastructure revolution in recent years.
The Ministry of Transportation notes that the upgrade work on Highway 90 is being carried out in a phased and continuous manner along the axis: so far, upgrade work has been completed up to kilometer 82, and expansion and safety work is now being carried out on the section between kilometer 82 and kilometer 101. Later, another section is expected to be completed up to kilometer 108, and then two additional sections from kilometer 108 to 125, and from there to kilometer 156, are in advanced planning stages as part of completing the transportation and safety continuum along the entire Highway 90.
Sarah was also presented with the progress of the work on the main sections along the axis, including the completion of the 19-kilometer Ketura-Nahal Shita section, which was upgraded and turned into a two-lane, two-lane road with a hard shoulder, 3-meter-wide safety shoulders, and the arrangement of service roads in the area of the 101st Inn. The section is opened to traffic and is part of an overall concept of continuous upgrading along the road.
The progress of the following projects was then presented: In the Nahal Shita-Mincha Intersection section, work is already underway, as part of a large-scale project with an investment of approximately NIS 524 million. This is a direct continuation of the process that is already changing the surface of the road, in which the axis is being expanded to two-lane dual carriageways with a hard shoulder and wide shoulders, to create a high and continuous safety standard. Completion of work on this section is expected in September 2028, and at the same time, preparations are being made to begin construction of approximately 7 additional kilometers until the entrance to Faren.
Further along the route, in the section between the entrance to Faren and the entrance to the cliffs, detailed planning has already been completed and is now in the final stages of preparation for a construction tender later this year. This is another significant upgrade of the road, which includes widening to two lanes and continuing to implement the safety standard set along the route.
The section between Tzukim and Hatzva is also advancing to the next stage, after the planning was completed, and is now in the process of preparing a tender file. This section, which is divided into two parts from Tzukim to Gesher Nekraot and from there to Hatzva, effectively completes the transportation and safety continuum along the Arava, as part of an overall concept of creating a modern, continuous and safe road along its entire length.
During the tour, the "Sahaf" system was also presented, an automatic system for detecting and warning against floods, developed by the Israel Roads Company and currently operating in the field. The system is based on sensors that monitor the water level in real time and provides warnings to drivers approximately 10 minutes before a flood event, along with automatic road blocking a few minutes before the water arrives, reporting to the police and remote control from the national traffic management center.
The system currently operates at five central locations on Highway 90 in the Arugot, Tze'elim and Ashush streams, on Highway 40 in the Tzihor and Rahaf streams, and is a significant component in preventing vehicles from entering floods and saving lives.
Minister of Transportation Miri Regev: “When I entered the Ministry of Transportation, I designated Highway 90 as a national mission. For years, people talked about this road, but we brought in budgets, made decisions, and transferred it to implementation on the ground. This is a policy that does not compromise on the safety of human life above all else. We will continue to fight to bring in a budget as early as 2027, with the aim of completing the upgrade up to kilometer 180. This is a large budget, but one that changes lives. I receive inquiries from people who drive on sections that have already been upgraded and tell me unequivocally that this is a different league of travel and safety. Highway 90 was a red road for years, with many accidents, and today in the sections that have already been upgraded we see a different reality with no fatal accidents.
""I thank the heads of the authorities and the Lanti for their cooperation. We are leading a real revolution here from the city of Eilat to the Arava junction, about 180 kilometers that will become a two-lane, two-lane highway with a hard shoulder, lighting, and safety bays that will protect the lives of drivers.".
""I will never forget the moment when, about three years ago, together with the director general of the ministry, Moshe Ben-Zaken, we came to console the mourning family of an Asor family who lost their loved ones in a flood on this road. At that moment, I said, this cannot continue like this. I instructed to promote a real solution. Within a year, an advanced system was introduced that warns of floods in advance and lowers barriers that prevent vehicles from entering the danger zone. This is a system that has already proven itself, including in the recent flood, and it is actually saving lives.".
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