After about 15 years of planning and discussions, the project to upgrade the northern interchange in Atlit is moving into the execution phase. Netivei Israel has published the execution tender for the project, worth about NIS 110 million, and at the end of the process, the executing contractor is expected to be selected to begin work on the ground. The project is intended to provide a solution to the heavy traffic loads at the entrance and exit of Atlit.
Execution tender worth 110 million shekels
This is one of the most significant transportation projects for Atlit and the Hof Carmel area. The project has been promoted over the years by the Hof Carmel Regional Council in consultation with the Ministry of Transportation and Netivei Israel, and in 2023 the budget authorization for its implementation was approved. According to the tender documents, the deadline for submitting bids is set for August 10, 2026. The implementation period set in the tender is approximately 40 months from the date of issuing the work start order, including a two-month safety margin. The bid bond is 3,000,000 shekels, and a bidders' meeting and tour will be held on July 13, 2025.
Widening Highway 721 and upgrading infrastructure for all road users
As part of the project, Highway 721 will be adjusted and expanded westward, in the section between Aaronson Farm and Atlit, with the aim of improving traffic flow and safety and providing a solution for all road users, as well as for the Atlit High-Tech Park, which is being built at the entrance to the settlement. The planning includes upgrading and expanding the road infrastructure, along with a pedestrian sidewalk and a two-way bicycle path, which will create a continuous and safer connection between the Highway 4 area and Atlit. The project is taking on new importance in light of the development momentum of Atlit and the expected growth of the settlement in the coming years, as traffic congestion has become increasingly severe with the increase in the number of residents and vehicles.
"Moving from talk to action on the ground"
Head of the Hof Carmel Regional Council, Assif Isaac, He said, "After 15 years of talk, planning and promises, we are moving on to action on the ground. This is a project that we have fought for for years, with a clear understanding that it is impossible to continue developing Atlit without providing a real solution to the transportation infrastructure. The traffic jams at the entrance and exit of the settlement harm the quality of life of the residents every day, and upgrading the northern interchange is a significant step towards changing this reality. The next step is of course starting to plan the southern interchange, which will happen in the coming months."
Isaac thanked Transportation Minister Miri Regev, Ministry of Transportation Director General Moshe Ben Zaken, Netivei Israel Director General Brigadier General (res.) Nissim Peretz, and Tirat HaCarmel Mayor Dudu Cohen for promoting and pushing for the implementation of the interchange.
"The news we've been waiting for years"
Deputy Head of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Atlit, Osher and Kenin, noted that "for the residents of Atlit, this is news we have been waiting for years. Anyone who enters and exits Atlit during rush hour knows the reality and the daily frustration well. Upgrading the interchange is not a luxury, it is a basic and urgent need for a settlement that is growing and developing at a rapid pace."
Chairman of the Atlit Local Committee, Itai ShafranHe added, "This is a significant moment for Atlit. For years, residents of the community have been dealing with heavy traffic congestion at the entrance and exit, and the need for a solution has become more urgent as the community has grown. The transition to the implementation phase is important news, and we welcome the progress after long years of anticipation."
Moving from inaction except for the benefit of damned settlers to marketing dreams ahead of the elections…
It's interesting how they invest in all the neighboring communities and villages near Dalia and Usafia, claiming green spaces, but in Atlit it's interesting how there are none.
It makes no sense, the traffic light will remain, the traffic jams will remain, we need a southern interchange and a direct exit south from Atlit at the existing interchange without waiting for the traffic light.
A scoundrel in a suit!
A. Investment in the Atlit Interchange does not stem from the needs of Atlit, but from the needs of Tirat Carmel, which is expanding rapidly and does not receive its own interchange on Highway 2 because between the road and the city lies Kibbutz HaHoutrim, the kibbutz of the council head who boasts of his efforts, but apparently to prevent the Tirat Carmel Interchange on his kibbutz's lands (which were probably given to the kibbutz by the state for free before 1949, and it would be a shame to give them up).
In short, the Atlit interchange as it is meets the needs without additional investment. If Tirat Carmel had its own interchange, which it was expected to have!!!
B. The interchange that is essential to Atlit and Neve Yam is the southern interchange, and to have the right to build it for another 15 years is a mockery of the Rash! A disgrace to Atlit planners.
C. The work on the northern interchange will cause many additional traffic jams in the area of the interchange, and it is recommended that the geniuses of the council and the committee, who boast about improvements for the benefit of the community, pay attention to what is supposed to happen in the 40 months (three and a half years) and pave the existing road from the Hefen neighborhood to Highway 4 and install a traffic light on Highway 4. Also, there is no engineering problem in creating an exit from Atlit to Highway 2 on an integrated road only towards the south! These two things should be done before starting to carry out traffic jam work on the northern interchange.
D. From past experience, there is no chance that the council and committee experts will deal with small things like the problems of the Atlit besiegers, and we are probably in for a difficult time for the rosy future of Tirat Carmel drivers! The city may have been born in the land next to a highway and does not receive a direct connection to it! – An Israeli dream!
every word.
We will also add three years of terrible traffic jams at the exit and entrance due to the work on the bridge.
Accurate response. I came across the article because I thought to myself that finally someone listened to the residents of Atlit, and decided to open a simple exit directly to Highway 2 🤷🏻
I wonder why they aren't making asphalt connecting Nir Etzion and Dalit El Carmel, the investment is being made in all sectors except the Druze sector.
What about exiting and entering Atlit from the southern bridge? That's the big problem. As soon as there is an exit and entrance from Highway 2 from the bridge in southern Atlit, you've reduced the load by 50% or more. But it's all a pity. There's a load because there's only a small entrance and exit. Widening Highway 721 is bullshit. It won't be useful and it's ineffective!
The delusion that they are expanding an interchange and leaving traffic lights for the descent and ascent of the coastal road. Logic does not exist.