Work has begun on the establishment of the Gulf Center transportation center in Haifa, which will be the largest in Israel. The new transportation center, whose cost is estimated at NIS 200 million, will be completed in about two and a half years. Minister Katz: Completing the Gulf Interchange is an important step in the transportation revolution designed to bring the periphery closer to the center
Work has begun on the construction of the new 'Bay Center' - the largest transportation center in Israel. Ter-Erma Co., Ltd., which won the Yaffe Nof construction tender, this week began drilling piles for the platform bridge of the Emek train station and for the building of the northern wing of the Gulf Central. These works constitute the first stage in the construction of the new Gulf center.
With the start of the works, the private car park located between the existing central station and the Lev Hamfaretz mall (Cinemall) will be closed. A new parking lot on the west side of the railroad, established by Jaffa Nof, is used by the motoring public. The parking lot can be reached via the road that connects the Carmel Tunnels with Route 22. The peripheral road around the Gulf Central will continue to operate. Signs directing vehicles and pedestrians have been placed at the location , in accordance with the new traffic regulations.
The southern wing, which was established and opened by Jaffa Nof about two years ago, is used for loading and unloading platforms for city buses. This wing was opened in the summer of 2013, with the activation of the matron, and it allows the rapid passage of buses and passengers.
On the northwest side of the railway tracks, Jaffe Nof established a parking lot with about 400 parking spaces for the main visitor. Access to the parking lot is through the new underpass connecting the Carmel tunnels with the container junction and Highway 22 (bypassing Kiryat). Already today it is possible to park and go to the center via a pedestrian bridge, which in the future will connect directly to the second floor of the center via a pair of elevators. The new Bay center will be accessible to people with disabilities, with escalators and elevators, which will allow easy and fast movement.
The budget for the construction of the switchboard, including the already completed southern wing, is approximately NIS 200 million. The works for the establishment of the northern wing and the development works, at a cost of about 130 million NIS, began this week and are planned to last about 30 months.
The Minister of Transportation, Road Safety and Intelligence, Yisrael Katz, stated that the Haifa metropolis is the first in Israel to operate an advanced, perfect and holistic public transportation system, which includes a train, subway, city and intercity buses, and more. According to him, the new Bay Center will complete the system and serve as a gateway An entrance and exit that will be used by residents of the Haifa metropolis and the north of the country.
"The completion of the center is an important step in the public transport revolution led by the Ministry of Transport, with the aim of connecting and bringing the periphery to the center, together with other large transport projects that we have led and will lead such as the Matron project, the Carmel Tunnels, the Kiryot bypass road, the interchange system and the completion of the Trans-Israel road to the north. These projects, In combination with the train system - the coastal train, the valley train, and the trains to Karmiel and Nazareth will improve accessibility and connect the periphery to the center." added Katz.
Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav welcomed the start of work on the construction of the new Gulf Interchange in Haifa and said: "The establishment of the Gulf Interchange, which is the largest in Israel, is another component of the public transportation system in Haifa, which is the most advanced and sophisticated in the country thanks to the integration of a very wide variety of means of public transportation, convenient, available, Fast and accessible to every resident and everywhere in Haifa - as befits the leading and most advanced city in Israel in the development of infrastructure and means of transportation."
Yafe Nof CEO Avishai Cohen "Yaffe Nof sees the execution of this project as the backbone of the public transportation network of the Haifa metropolis, by providing all the professional tools required to complete the project on time and within the required budget. The Bay Center project, as can be seen in the simulations, is one of the most beautiful and advanced of its kind in Israel, designed to serve the residents of the north of the country in general and the residents of the Haifa metropolis in particular, will improve accessibility in Haifa and the north."
The complex of the Gulf center is closed and secure, landscape development and gardening work will be done around it and decorative lighting will be installed. At the end of the construction, the Yaffe Nof company will maintain the center through a management and maintenance company, in cooperation with the public transport operators that use the complex.
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