Jerusalem 5800 English

The Metropolitan Jerusalem Master Plan

Circumferential roads have served for

several decades as the most important

transportation tool for channeling

vehicles in large metropoles around the

world. The purpose of the existence of

such roads is to prevent vehicles that

need to get from one side of a city to

the other from having to go through

the city. The circumferential roads

connect all of the roads leading to the

metropolis with each other and with

the roads leading from it to the center

of the city. In this way, circumferential

roads make it possible to reach defined

areas of the city with much greater ease.

Circumferential roads contribute to the

reduction of traffic congestion, and as

a direct result of this, to a reduction in

air and noise pollution and an increased

quality of life.

The vision of a circumferential road

for Jerusalem existed already 1975,

and a general plan for the Jerusalem

circumferential road is in initial

planning stages under the title “The

City Gates Project.” According to this

plan, the circumferential road will be

comprised of two half-rings – the

east and west circumferential roads.

A comprehensive examination of the

current status of the highways around

the expected metropolitan region

shows that in actuality, many of the

roads which already exist could serve

– with minor changes – as sections of

the circumferential road. Thus, building

the circumferential road will require

completing relatively few sections, at a

reasonable expense, and in a relatively

short period of time. Together with

this, establishing the circumferential

road will require building road sections

connecting it with the primary and

secondary traffic arteries of Jerusalem,

the primary arteries to the city’s

neighborhoods, and to the city center

from all parts of the city.

It should be emphasized that this

circumferential road will be able to use

existing routes only if the borders of

metropolitan Jerusalem, as determined

in this plan, are to be accepted.

Further, the circumferential road will

be planned and built in a manner that

will allow reference to the demographic

changes in the city and to the changing

transportation needs thereof. In

some big cities – such as Madrid

and Paris – there is more than one

circumferential road, as the expansion

of the metropolis has required the

establishment of more circumferential

roads.

Building the

circumferential

road will require

completing relatively

few sections, at a

reasonable expense,

and in a relatively

short period of time

illustrations:

Mike Demidov, Shutterstock

Establishment of a system of mass transportation, for travel to and

from, and within, metropolitan Jerusalem.

A new airport, to be built in the Horkania-Jericho region, will serve

for people to arrive in Jerusalem from outside the country in addition to

flights coming into Israel’s main airport – Ben Gurion.

The main transportation system (roads and public transportation)

will be radial, meaning, based on circumferential roads.

The urban public transportation system will include light rails and

advanced buses which will provide services for short rides. As needed,

at a later stage, a subway system will be built as well.

Jerusalem’s intercity train system will be significantly upgraded to

include three lines to the Jerusalem region, one of which will go to the

Atarot employment area, a train line to the planned Horkania-Jericho

airport in the east, and a north-south route on the Nablus-Ramallah-

Jerusalem-Hebron Beer Sheva axis.

Transportation principles for metropolitan Jerusalem

Transportation

The Circumferential Road

Circumferential roads are to be found in any large metropolis

in the world today, and they are the most efficient tool for

managing and directing urban and intercity traffic.

Transportation