The Lev Yehuda-Levinger Road, or Hebron bypass road was inaugurated today (Monday), at a ceremony on HaGiva HaTzehuba (Yellow Hill) in Gush Etzion, whose development began in 2019. The road is expected to improve driving conditions from the Gush Etzion Junction southwards towards Kiryat Arba-Hebron and southern Mount Hebron.
Most of the route will be opened this Wednesday and will be fully accessible within the next few weeks with the completion of the final construction work.
Minister of Transport and Road Safety, Miri Regev said, “I am glad to have achieved closure today with this important project that was launched during my previous term in the ministry, and on my return I made sure that it would progress in full force. It is therefore a project that lies close to my heart. Today we were privileged to see the successful completion of a safe, state-of-the-art road that will offer safe passage to all residents in the area, both Jews and Palestinians. The safety of the residents of Judea and Samaria is as important to me as that of any Israeli citizen, as is our obligation to ensure convenient and safe transport to Jerusalem and between the communities. We have comprehensive development programs for the roads in Judea and Samaria, and together with Prime Minister Netanyahu and Finance Minister Smotrich, we have achieved the budgets required for their implementation.”
Minister Regev stated that as early as this December, a tender will be issued for the construction of HaAvot Road, which is also a part of the massive five-year plan approved by the government. It will connect Hebron and Kiryat Arba with the Gush Etzion communities and Jerusalem. The minister added that she expects the work on the Hawara bypass road to be completed by the end of the year as well.
Mayor of the Gush Etzion Regional Council and Chairman of the Yesha Council, Shlomo Ne’eman said, “We are inaugurating Lev Yehuda Road in the name of the late Rabbi and Mrs Levinger, founders of the Judea and Samaria Jewish community. This is really good news for the communities across the Judea and Etzion belt. The road is an essential lifeline and a key factor to strengthening our way of life in the region. On behalf of myself and the heads of the authorities, and on behalf of the residents of the region, I would like to thank the Minister of Transport, Miri Regev from the bottom of my heart, as she has advocated for the building of the road since her first term in office and now she gets to be present at its opening. A huge thank you goes to Minsters Israel Katz and Bezalel Smotrich who worked towards commencing the development of the road. Thank you to the people in the civil administration who worked and continue to work day and night for better transportation in Judea and Samaria. And of course, to the people who are putting it all together - Netivei Yisrael, the company that has executed this significant project. This is an additional opportunity to thank and give support to the government of Israel who reached the decision on this unprecedented investment in transport and infrastructure for Judea and Samaria. All the roads in the area are at different stages of planning and execution. We see with our own eyes the bulldozers along Road 60 that will shortly transform this vital road into a wide highway, and provide the population with passage to Jerusalem.”
Engineer Gilad Naor, deputy head of the Projects and Transportation Wing at the Engineering and Development Center at Netivei Yisrael: “We have substantial news for the commuters who for many years have suffered from stone-throwing on this road. Residents of the communities in Judea and Samaria who until now have had to travel in the vicinity of villages to get home, will now be able to travel safely on the new road. For every project we execute, we at Netivei Yisrael understand well how to optimize road safety for road users, and in this case the aim is twofold, since we have taken into account the issue of security, too, which is most essential for the residents.”