PM Netanyahu Attends Hamovil Interchange Dedication Ceremony

 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz and other senior officials today (Tuesday), 6.9.11, attended the dedication ceremony for the new Hamovil interchange at the intersection of Highway #77 and Highway #79 in the lower Galilee.
 
The interchange and its approach roads are a main section of Highway #6‘s „eastern arm” project. The interchange will facilitate the uninterrupted flow of traffic, improve safety in the area and considerably shorten travel times.
 
The NIS 570 million construction project includes a 120-meter bridge, access ramps and additional traffic lanes. Infrastructure for a future widening of the highway has been prepared, as has been a space for the projected Haifa-Nazareth light rail.
 
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the interchange is an additional step in linking the north to the center of the country, without stoplights or traffic jams. „Linking the north to the center has implications for areas such housing, tourism and employment. However, the construction of a national transportation network is only one component. Others include my government’s initiatives to free up land for residential construction and the creation of centers in the Negev and the Galilee such as establishing a medical school in Safed and moving IDF bases to the Negev,” the Prime Minister said.
 
Transportation Minister Katz noted that the new interchange was finished approximately six months ahead of schedule. „In another month, the upgraded Highway #79 will be opened to traffic. The new Somekh interchange will be dedicated in less than six months. We increased the speed limit on Highway #77 to 100 kph. All of these steps will have the effect of shortening travel times to the center of the country. These projects are part of the ‘Israel Lanes’ plan which is designed to link the north and south of the country to the center. Without the Prime Minister’s unswerving support, these projects could not have been completed.”