Route 531 (Israel)
Route 531 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| כביש 531 | ||||
 | ||||
 Route 531 just before its current western end | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Length | 15.2 km (9.4 mi) | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end | East Shmaryahu Interchange | |||
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| East end | Horshim Interchange | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | Israel | |||
| Major cities | (Rishpon), (Kfar Shmaryahu), (Herzliya), Ra'anana, Kfar Malal, Kfar Saba, Elishama, Jaljulia, Horshim | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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Route 531 (Hebrew: כביש 531), is a suburban freeway in the southern Sharon region of Israel, just north of the Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area. The highway begins at Highway 6 and terminates at the Ayalon Highway with an extension to the Coastal Highway.
The highway's easternmost section was constructed on October 16, 2014, while parts of the extension of the highway to the Ayalon Highway in Herzliya opened starting in 2016.
Herzliya–Ra'anana extension
Initially, the highway terminated east of Ra'anana. In 2008, a PFI tender was issued to continue constructing the highway westward from Ra'anana towards Highway 20 (Ayalon Highway) near the Mediterranean coast. By doing so, it will pass nearby several large cities and connect all the major north–south highways in the region: Highway 6, Highway 4 and Highway 20. The project also includes extending Highway 20 several kilometres northwards, connecting it and Route 531 to Highway 2 (the Coastal Highway) heading northbound at a new interchange near Ga'ash.[1] Its main section includes three travel lanes in each direction and two massive interchanges – at Ra'anana South (with Highway 4), and with the Ayalon Highway (Highway 20), plus a few smaller interchanges.
In addition, the project includes extending Sharon Railway with a double-track railway, including a long railway tunnel and several passenger stations in the median of the highway along nearly the entire length of the road, using a design similar to that of the Route 431 suburban freeway. The new railway section will connect Ra'anana West railway station to the Coastal Railway.
Shapir Engineering initially won the PFI tender to extend the road and railway. Still, due to financial disagreements and complications caused by the worldwide financial crisis, the government cancelled the PFI tender in the summer of 2010. Instead, the project was reorganized and funded directly by the treasury and managed by the National Roads Company.[2] It was split off into several sections, each of which was tendered separately at an estimated total cost of NIS 4 billion (equivalent to slightly over US$1 billion). This move postponed completion by six years to 2019, although completed parts of the highway have been opened to traffic in stages starting in 2016.
Interchanges and Junctions (West to East)
| District[3] | Location[4] | km | mi | Name | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central | Rishpon | 0 | 0.0 | מחלף שמריהו מזרח (East Shmaryahu Interchange) |  Highway 20 | |
| Ra'anana Herzliya | 3.9 | 2.4 | מחלף הרצליה מזרח (East Herzliya Interchange) |  Route 541 | ||
| Ra'anana | 5.6 | 3.5 | מחלף ח"ן (Khen Interchange) | Ben Gurion Street | ||
| Ramot HaShavim | 7.1 | 4.4 | מחלף רעננה דרום (South Ra'anana Interchange) |   Highway 4 Route 554 | ||
| Kfar Malal | 8 | 5.0 | מחלף מל"ל (Malal Interchange) |  Route 402 | ||
| Kfar Saba | 8.7 | 5.4 | מחלף סוקולוב (Sokolov Interchange) | Sokolov Street | ||
| Hod HaSharon | 9.8 | 6.1 | מחלף תל חי (Tel Hai Interchange) | Tel Hai Street | ||
| Elishama | 11.2 | 7.0 | מחלף אלישמע (Elishama Interchange) |  Highway 40 | ||
| Jaljulia | 13.8 | 8.6 | מחלף ג'לג'וליה (Jaljulia Interchange) |  Route 444 Road 5233 | ||
| Horshim | 15.2 | 9.4 | מחלף חורשים (Horshim Interchange) |  Highway 6 Road 5233 | ||
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | ||||||
References
- ^ פורסמו שני המכרזים האחרונים של כביש 531 [Last Two Tenders for Route 531 Published] (in Hebrew). Port2Port. 2012-02-09. Retrieved 2013-07-11.
- ^ Avi Bar-Eli (2011-01-16). שנה לאחר ביטול המכרז - פרויקט כביש 531 המחודש יוצא לדרך [A Year After the PFI Tender was Canceled — Route 531 Project Resumes]. TheMarker (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2011-01-16.
- ^ Survey of Israel (October 31, 2018). "מחוזות משרד הפנים" [Ministry of Interior districts] (Map). Govmap (in Hebrew). Retrieved October 31, 2018.
- ^ Survey of Israel (October 31, 2018). "גבולות ישובים" [Locality borders] (Map). Govmap (in Hebrew). Retrieved October 31, 2018.