(live here) – Researchers The Transportation Justice Laboratory The Technion, headed by Prof. Carl Martens, sent a letter to the Haifa Municipality, the mayor, the city engineer, the northern district engineer at the Ministry of Transportation, and other parties, in which they criticize the plan for grade separation at the Matam intersection — and call for stopping the project's advancement and reexamining the transportation vision for the area. "There is an extraordinary opportunity to transform the Matam area into a true urban gateway – one that connects people and not just roads," they write.
The Ministry of Transportation is promoting a new plan for a fundamental change at the Matam Intersection, at the southern entrance to Haifa, through a grade separation that will eliminate the existing intersection and replace it with an interchange. This plan was recently published on the "Hai Pa" website.
According to the Ministry of Transportation and the "Cross Israel" company, which is leading the move, the goal of the interchange is to allow "continuous motorized traffic" to the city. However, in the eyes of many experts and activists, this is a dangerous move that could seriously harm urban development and the transportation vision of the Haifa metropolis.
The Transportation Justice Laboratory The Technion, along with other professional bodies, warns: This is a planning folly that could lead to "crying for generations." In a public letter sent to the relevant bodies, they point out the serious consequences of the plan — not only in terms of transportation, but also environmental, social, and economic.
An urban future—or a rapid interchange?
The Matam Intersection is currently one of the city's main transportation and employment centers, the main entrance gate from the south, a significant transportation hub, and nearby is the Sammy Ofer Stadium and one of the largest employment areas in the north. In the coming years, approximately 14,000 new housing units are planned around it as part of the "Southern Slope" program, and approximately 12,000 additional units in Tirat Carmel - an addition that will transform the area into a bustling urban hub.
However, despite all this, the interchange planners continue to operate according to an outdated concept of fast traffic, instead of promoting sustainable urbanism, the letter claims.
"There is tremendous potential here for creating a vibrant, dense, accessible, and equitable urban fabric," say the Transportation Justice Laboratory. "But instead of developing the place as an urban street with priority for public transportation, pedestrians, and cyclists, we are once again choosing the old model of private cars and layers of concrete."
A switch that disconnects — does not connect
Contrary to the image of a "transportation solution," experts point out that the construction of an interchange will actually severely affect connectivity and accessibility, especially for those who do not own a private car. Pedestrians, parents with strollers, the disabled, the elderly, and cyclists — all are expected to encounter an additional barrier on their way to work, school, or home. Public transportation will also have difficulty integrating into a route that was planned in advance for private vehicles only.
This situation contradicts the stated policy of the Haifa Municipality and the Ministry of Transportation, which states that walking, public transportation, and cycling should be encouraged, while reducing dependence on private vehicles.
Additional housing units — a reason against an interchange, not for it
One of the main reasons for promoting the interchange is the expected large addition of housing units in the area. However, professionals claim that the reasoning is the opposite: the more residents there are, the greater the importance of a sustainable and efficient transportation solution that does not rely on private vehicle traffic.
"Wide roads and interchanges do not solve congestion - they create it," the lab explains. "The right way to deal with population growth is to invert the transportation pyramid: prioritize public transportation, bike paths, and quality sidewalks. Urban intersections connect areas; interchanges disconnect them."
Heavy environmental and economic consequences
Besides the urban disconnection, there is also an environmental cost: increasing dependence on private cars will lead to air pollution, noise, worsening the climate crisis, and deepening social gaps between those who can afford a car — and those who cannot.
The urban economy is also expected to be affected: private vehicle infrastructure takes up valuable space, increases development costs, and reduces the ability to build a dense, accessible, and diverse city — a stated goal of the State of Israel, especially in light of projections of a doubling of the population by 2050.
A call for rethinking
Despite the criticism, people The Transportation Justice Laboratory Emphasize: They are in favor of a design change at the Matam intersection — but one that will serve all road users, not just drivers.
"Instead of an interchange that perpetuates dependence on the private car, we call on the municipality, the Ministry of Transportation, and the 'Cross Israel' company to stop and reexamine the transportation vision for the area," they conclude. "There is an extraordinary opportunity here to transform the Matam area into a true urban gateway — one that connects people, not just roads."
Now you remember to be angry about the plan? This stupid project has been running and advancing for years and has already reached the tender and detailed plan stages… Good morning to you in the Ivory Tower. Apply pressure at the appropriate time, not after almost 10 years of advancing this planning. We need to stop the outdated people who think of such solutions in time.