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Route 471 (Israel)
Encyclopedia
Route 471 commonly called Maccabit Road, is a suburban expressway in the center of the Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area
in Israel
. The expressway connects Highway 4
in the west with Route 444 in the east. It is part of a road system planned to provide improved access to Highway 6
.
The construction of Route 471 was plagued with bureaucracy, massive opposition from neighboring municipalities and budget overruns, all of which caused major delays in construction.
Route 471 was fully opened on October 16, 2007, after its eastern section, between Route 444 and Gat Rimon was partially opened since 2002. However, there are still two at-grade intersections
in its western section. After much delay, extensive works began in 2011 to construct large interchanges in place of these two intersections. When completed, the road will serve as an important freeway route between Highway 6 and Highway 4.
in Ramat Gan. It then continues east through a short tunnel and bypasses Kiryat Ono. It then passes between Petah Tikva
and Ganei Tikva until it reaches Gat-Rimon Junction. The section between Bar Ilan and Gat Rimon is built to full freeway standards, fully grade-separated with three to four lanes in each direction and wide shoulders, however the road is not signed as a freeway.
From Gat-Rimon the road continues east, bypassing Petah Tikva from the south until it meets Highway 6 at Nahshonim Interchange. It then continues one km further east to its terminus at Migdal Afek Junction with Route 444. This section has only two lanes in each direction with at-grade intersections
.
. However, only the first two sections opened in 2002, and although most of the work on the western section was completed by 2005, it remained closed until late 2007. The completed section was unofficially used as a makeshift roller skating
course, thanks to the wide and leveled roadbed. The gap caused severe traffic problems in the area, as drivers who wished to bypass the missing section used residential streets in Gat Rimon
, Ganei Tikva
and Kiryat Ono. To prevent drivers from using this route, some of the turns at Gat Rimon Intersection remained closed until the western section opened.
The Kiryat Ono municipality was concerned about noise and air pollution from the new expressway. To address this, the expressway was built in a trench, acoustic walls were erected and some of the route adjacent to Kiryat Ono was built in a tunnel
. The municipality was also concerned that the opening of a new entrance to Petah Tikva
would cause the city's main street, Levi Eshkol Street, to turn into a bypass for the congested Geha Highway
. The municipality instead proposed the construction of a western bypass of Kiryat Ono prior to the opening of the connection to Petah Tikva. Even after the expressway fully opened, the municipality blocked the connection to Petah Tikva using concrete barriers and sand piles for several weeks.
Another delay was the public opposition from the residents of Gat Rimon neighborhood in Petah Tikva. The neighborhood was to be demolished to make way for the Gat Rimon Interchange, however, the National Roads Authority failed to reach a compensation agreement with the residents. The matter went to court, and the Ministry of Transportation decided to build a temporary northern bypass until the case was settled. The bypass includes two signaled intersections and a shared section with a city street, causing severe traffic jams on the expressway.
The opening of the western section also caused an increase in traffic on Aluf Sade Road in Ramat Gan, a major artery connecting Highway 4
, Route 471's western terminus, with central Tel Aviv
. Severe traffic jams were reported in Ramat Gan during the first days after the expressway's opening, and the Mayor of Ramat Gan told reporters that he had demanded improvements to Aluf Sade Road prior to the opening of Route 471, however these were not carried out. Eventually, traffic improved somewhat after the traffic lights programs at Aluf Sade Interchange were improved, however the road remains regularly jammed. The National Roads Authority started working on improving traffic flow at Aluf Sade Interchange in 2009.
On March 16, 2009, the National Roads Company
published a tender to complete the missing interchanges on the eastern section and bring it up to freeway standards. The tender was awarded to Hofrey HaSharon, however a law suit was filed by one of the losing companies, EYL Sela. It was claimed that there was a conflict of interest in the selection of Hofrey HaSharon's offer, which was 11 million NIS more expensive than EYL Sela, as one of the members of the tenders committee was a former employee of Hofrey HaSharon. The matter went back and forth to the Regional and Supreme courts for over a year, with a second lawsuit filed by Minrab, another company which lost the tender. The matter was eventually settled on August 9, 2010, when the Supreme Court ordered Hofrey HaSharon to immediately start work on the road, as a matter of addressing the immediate public interest. Should the court eventually rule in favor of Minrab, the National Roads Company will be required to compensate Minrab. The tender stated that the works would last 36 months, meaning that the road would be completed in late 2013, at best.
Gush Dan
The Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area , or Gush Dan , is a metropolitan area including areas from both the Tel Aviv and the Central Districts of Israel. The area is closely linked to the city of Tel Aviv through social, economic, and cultural ties. It is located along the Israeli Mediterranean coastline...
in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. The expressway connects Highway 4
Highway 4 (Israel)
Highway 4 is an Israeli highway that runs along Israel's entire coastal plain of the Mediterranean Sea, its route in the north runs from the Rosh HaNikra border crossing with Lebanon until the Erez Border Crossing with the Gaza Strip...
in the west with Route 444 in the east. It is part of a road system planned to provide improved access to Highway 6
Highway 6 (Israel)
Highway 6 , widely known as the Trans-Israel Highway or Cross-Israel Highway , is a major electronic toll highway in Israel. The highway was officially dedicated as the Yitzhak Rabin Highway , though this name is not commonly used. It started operating in the early 2000s and is being lengthened as...
.
The construction of Route 471 was plagued with bureaucracy, massive opposition from neighboring municipalities and budget overruns, all of which caused major delays in construction.
Route 471 was fully opened on October 16, 2007, after its eastern section, between Route 444 and Gat Rimon was partially opened since 2002. However, there are still two at-grade intersections
Intersection (road)
An intersection is a road junction where two or more roads either meet or cross at grade . An intersection may be 3-way - a T junction or fork, 4-way - a crossroads, or 5-way or more...
in its western section. After much delay, extensive works began in 2011 to construct large interchanges in place of these two intersections. When completed, the road will serve as an important freeway route between Highway 6 and Highway 4.
Route description
Route 471 starts at Bar Ilan Interchange with Highway 4Highway 4 (Israel)
Highway 4 is an Israeli highway that runs along Israel's entire coastal plain of the Mediterranean Sea, its route in the north runs from the Rosh HaNikra border crossing with Lebanon until the Erez Border Crossing with the Gaza Strip...
in Ramat Gan. It then continues east through a short tunnel and bypasses Kiryat Ono. It then passes between Petah Tikva
Petah Tikva
Petah Tikva known as Em HaMoshavot , is a city in the Center District of Israel, east of Tel Aviv.According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, at the end of 2009, the city's population stood at 209,600. The population density is approximately...
and Ganei Tikva until it reaches Gat-Rimon Junction. The section between Bar Ilan and Gat Rimon is built to full freeway standards, fully grade-separated with three to four lanes in each direction and wide shoulders, however the road is not signed as a freeway.
From Gat-Rimon the road continues east, bypassing Petah Tikva from the south until it meets Highway 6 at Nahshonim Interchange. It then continues one km further east to its terminus at Migdal Afek Junction with Route 444. This section has only two lanes in each direction with at-grade intersections
Intersection (road)
An intersection is a road junction where two or more roads either meet or cross at grade . An intersection may be 3-way - a T junction or fork, 4-way - a crossroads, or 5-way or more...
.
Controversies
Route 471 was originally planned to fully open in 2003, together with the central section of Highway 6Highway 6 (Israel)
Highway 6 , widely known as the Trans-Israel Highway or Cross-Israel Highway , is a major electronic toll highway in Israel. The highway was officially dedicated as the Yitzhak Rabin Highway , though this name is not commonly used. It started operating in the early 2000s and is being lengthened as...
. However, only the first two sections opened in 2002, and although most of the work on the western section was completed by 2005, it remained closed until late 2007. The completed section was unofficially used as a makeshift roller skating
Roller skating
Roller skating is the traveling on smooth surfaces with roller skates. It is a form of recreation as well as a sport, and can also be a form of transportation. Skates generally come in two basic varieties: quad roller skates and inline skates or blades, though some have experimented with a...
course, thanks to the wide and leveled roadbed. The gap caused severe traffic problems in the area, as drivers who wished to bypass the missing section used residential streets in Gat Rimon
Gat Rimon
Gat Rimon is a moshav in central Israel. Located in the Ono Valley in the Sharon plain between Ganei Tikva and Petah Tikva, it falls under the jurisdiction of Drom HaSharon Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 204....
, Ganei Tikva
Ganei Tikva
-External links:* *...
and Kiryat Ono. To prevent drivers from using this route, some of the turns at Gat Rimon Intersection remained closed until the western section opened.
The Kiryat Ono municipality was concerned about noise and air pollution from the new expressway. To address this, the expressway was built in a trench, acoustic walls were erected and some of the route adjacent to Kiryat Ono was built in a tunnel
Tunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
. The municipality was also concerned that the opening of a new entrance to Petah Tikva
Petah Tikva
Petah Tikva known as Em HaMoshavot , is a city in the Center District of Israel, east of Tel Aviv.According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, at the end of 2009, the city's population stood at 209,600. The population density is approximately...
would cause the city's main street, Levi Eshkol Street, to turn into a bypass for the congested Geha Highway
Highway 4 (Israel)
Highway 4 is an Israeli highway that runs along Israel's entire coastal plain of the Mediterranean Sea, its route in the north runs from the Rosh HaNikra border crossing with Lebanon until the Erez Border Crossing with the Gaza Strip...
. The municipality instead proposed the construction of a western bypass of Kiryat Ono prior to the opening of the connection to Petah Tikva. Even after the expressway fully opened, the municipality blocked the connection to Petah Tikva using concrete barriers and sand piles for several weeks.
Another delay was the public opposition from the residents of Gat Rimon neighborhood in Petah Tikva. The neighborhood was to be demolished to make way for the Gat Rimon Interchange, however, the National Roads Authority failed to reach a compensation agreement with the residents. The matter went to court, and the Ministry of Transportation decided to build a temporary northern bypass until the case was settled. The bypass includes two signaled intersections and a shared section with a city street, causing severe traffic jams on the expressway.
The opening of the western section also caused an increase in traffic on Aluf Sade Road in Ramat Gan, a major artery connecting Highway 4
Highway 4 (Israel)
Highway 4 is an Israeli highway that runs along Israel's entire coastal plain of the Mediterranean Sea, its route in the north runs from the Rosh HaNikra border crossing with Lebanon until the Erez Border Crossing with the Gaza Strip...
, Route 471's western terminus, with central Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
. Severe traffic jams were reported in Ramat Gan during the first days after the expressway's opening, and the Mayor of Ramat Gan told reporters that he had demanded improvements to Aluf Sade Road prior to the opening of Route 471, however these were not carried out. Eventually, traffic improved somewhat after the traffic lights programs at Aluf Sade Interchange were improved, however the road remains regularly jammed. The National Roads Authority started working on improving traffic flow at Aluf Sade Interchange in 2009.
On March 16, 2009, the National Roads Company
National Roads Company of Israel
The National Roads Company of Israel , also called National Roads Authority, is a government-owned corporation, in charge of planning, construction and maintenance of most road infrastructure in Israel, including roads, bridges and interchanges....
published a tender to complete the missing interchanges on the eastern section and bring it up to freeway standards. The tender was awarded to Hofrey HaSharon, however a law suit was filed by one of the losing companies, EYL Sela. It was claimed that there was a conflict of interest in the selection of Hofrey HaSharon's offer, which was 11 million NIS more expensive than EYL Sela, as one of the members of the tenders committee was a former employee of Hofrey HaSharon. The matter went back and forth to the Regional and Supreme courts for over a year, with a second lawsuit filed by Minrab, another company which lost the tender. The matter was eventually settled on August 9, 2010, when the Supreme Court ordered Hofrey HaSharon to immediately start work on the road, as a matter of addressing the immediate public interest. Should the court eventually rule in favor of Minrab, the National Roads Company will be required to compensate Minrab. The tender stated that the works would last 36 months, meaning that the road would be completed in late 2013, at best.
Junctions and interchanges
| km Kilometre The kilometre is a unit of length in the metric system, equal to one thousand metres and is therefore exactly equal to the distance travelled by light in free space in of a second... |
Name | Type | Meaning | Location | Road(s) Crossed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | מחלף בר אילן (Bar Ilan Interchange) |
 |
Named after Bar Ilan University | Ramat Gan |  Highway 4 Highway 4 (Israel) Highway 4 is an Israeli highway that runs along Israel's entire coastal plain of the Mediterranean Sea, its route in the north runs from the Rosh HaNikra border crossing with Lebanon until the Erez Border Crossing with the Gaza Strip... |
| 0.6 |  |
Kiryat Ono Ramat Gan Givat Shmuel |
Keren Hayesod Road, Aharon Katzir Ave. | ||
| 0.6 | Tunnel Tunnel A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers... - 3 lanes eastbound, 4 lanes westbound |
 |
Kiryat Ono | 350 metres | |
| 2 | מחלף אונו (Ono Interchange) |
|
Named after location | Kiryat Ono | Levi Eshkol Levi Eshkol ' served as the third Prime Minister of Israel from 1963 until his death from a heart attack in 1969. He was the first Israeli Prime Minister to die in office.-Biography:... Road |
| 4.5 | צומת זרובבל (Zrubavel Junction) |
 |
Named after location | Petah Tikva Petah Tikva Petah Tikva known as Em HaMoshavot , is a city in the Center District of Israel, east of Tel Aviv.According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, at the end of 2009, the city's population stood at 209,600. The population density is approximately... |
Ya'akov Zrubavel Str. |
| 6.4 | צומת שעריה (Sha'ariyya Junction) |
|
Named after nearby neighborhood | Petah Tikva Petah Tikva Petah Tikva known as Em HaMoshavot , is a city in the Center District of Israel, east of Tel Aviv.According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, at the end of 2009, the city's population stood at 209,600. The population density is approximately... |
 Highway 40 Highway 40 (Israel) Highway 40 is a north-south intercity road in Israel. At 302 km long, it is the second longest highway in Israel, after Highway 90. The highway runs from Kfar Sava in the center of Israel to the Arabah in the south, serving as a main connection between central Israel and Be'er Sheva.-Route... |
| 9.5 | מחלף נחשונים (Nahshonim Interchange) |
|
Named after location | Kibbutz Kibbutz A kibbutz is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economic branches, including industrial plants and high-tech enterprises. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities, a combination of socialism and Zionism... Nahshonim |
 Highway 6 Highway 6 (Israel) Highway 6 , widely known as the Trans-Israel Highway or Cross-Israel Highway , is a major electronic toll highway in Israel. The highway was officially dedicated as the Yitzhak Rabin Highway , though this name is not commonly used. It started operating in the early 2000s and is being lengthened as... |
| 10.3 | צומת מגדל אפק (Migdal Afek Junction) |
|
Named after nearby Tel Afek Tel Afek Tel Afek, , also spelled Aphek, is an archaeological site located in the coastal hinterland of the Ein Afek Nature Reserve, east of Kiryat Bialik, Israel.... |
Kibbutz Nahshonim | Route 444 |