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The Public Works Department (P.W.D.)
was established in 1921 as a general division of public
words within the framework of the British Mandate. Since
that time and up to today, the P.W.D. has been responsible
for the paving of the inter-urban roads, and in the past,
construction of most of the buildings for Government
institutions and State services.
The network includes: Roads stretching over more
than 4,200 km with a paved area of over 30 million square
meters. The road inventory and its facilities are valued at
more than 45 billion dollars, not including land value.
Since 1992, funding for
inter-urban road projects has increased substantially. The
P.W.D's annual budget has exceeded $ 450 million over the
last two years. Approximately 70% of the budget has been
allocated to road development projects, about 20% towards
road maintenance and the remainder towards planning and
research, operational and service units and administration.
In 1995, the P.W.D prepared a
five-year work program for road development up to the year
2000.
As well as adopting the
objectives set out in the previous work program, the primary
aim now is to ensure the development of an adequate and
economical highway system to meet future needs and which
will provide service levels of domestic highways similar to
those in Western European countries.
Priorities have been defined
taking into consideration an annual budget ceiling of about
$330 million for road development projects. The work program
has taken into account national projects planned for the
same period, in particular in the development of residential
areas.
The substantial increase in
funding over the last few years has enables the P.W.D. to:
. Undertake
technological improvement, for example, in the recycling of
material.
. Improve the standards of the geometric
design of highways.
. Initiate projects which aim to improve
the use of resources in the future, for example, a Pavement
Management System and a Traffic Control System.
. Develop and upgrade computerized
systems, improving both the quantity and quality of
information available in all divisions.
. Implement data processing systems in the
engineering, finance and administration divisions.
In Israel, road design and
construction projects are undertaken by the private
sector, The public sector is responsible for planning,
organizing, directing and supervising the design and
construction stages, A considerable part of on-site
supervision is also carried out by private consultants.
Consultant firms are
selected for the design work of road projects according
to their expertise and sphere of specialization in
relation to the scope and complexity of the project.
Selection of companies for
the construction of projects is by a public tender. All
contractors listed in the Contractors' Register
according to classification as to their area of
expertise and financial scope. may participate in
tenders.
Whenever a complex project
demands knowledge and expertise that is not available
locally those contractors participating in the tender
are required to engage foreign contractors with
experience in accomplishing the same type of project.
For example. the P.W.D.
issued two tenders for constructing tunnels and the
local contractors were obliged to include and work
jointly with foreign consultants with proven experience
in tunnel works.
In general, only
contractors listed in the Contractors' Register may
participate in tenders published in Israel. However,
local contractors are encouraged to associate with
foreign contractors who have proven international
experience, in joint ventures or by other means.
Finally, in the area of peace, the international road
construction potential extends to a number of
possibilities mainly:
1. Road
connecting Egypt, Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian
Authority
2. Haifa-Jordan highway
3. Amman-Jerusalem-Ashdod highway
4. A future central corridor network
linking Syria. Lebanon, Jordan, Israel,
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One of the main problems facing the country's road
network is the high level of vehicle density on the
roads. Although at present Israel's vehicle motorization
is only half that of Western Europe's, vehicle density is
among the highest in the world. Moreover, based on
present annual traffic motorization growth rates - of
between 6-7% per annum - within the Next ten years there
will be some 2 million motor vehicles on the road
compared to over 1.4 million today.
The idea of a main traffic
artery to the east of Israel's central metropolitan area,
stretching from north to south, was first conceived in
the 1970s. Although the concept of such a highway was
often raised few concrete steps were taken to examine the
reality of such proposals.
Finally, however, in 1990,
a comprehensive study was commissioned. The study
indicated that the construction of a cross Israel highway
was an essential component in dealing with, as well as
easing, Israel's worsening traffic problems.
In 1992 the Government
designated the construction of a cross Israel highway as
a national priority and consequently established the
Cross Israel Highway Company. The sole purpose of the
company is to promote the implementation of the project
in order to contribute to the overall solution to
Israel's transportation problems.
The Highway will extend
from the north of the country to the south, with
interchanges all along its length, and will form the
eastern backbone of the country's transportation network.
It will reduce congestion as well as air pollution in
central Israel, and will encourage the much needed
dispersal of population and employment from the center of
the country to its periphery.
The overall length of the
Highway will be approximately 300 kilometers, from the
Galilee region to the Beer Sheba vicinity, It has been
planned with maximum consideration for the environment,
natural surroundings. and historical sites. Its design
includes the highest modern engineering standards and
safety considerations. It is planned as an expressway.
with designed speeds of 120 to 130 kilometers per hour,
and two to four lanes in each direction.
The first phase is planned
to be 90 kilometers in length, running parallel to the
greater Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area, and will cut
approximately 750 million US dollars. The cost of the
entire Highway is estimated to be 2 billion US dollars.
The Knesset has passed
legislation enabling Phase 1 of the Highway to be built
as a toll road concession. Four consortia have
prequalified and been invited to submit proposals to
finance, design, construct, operate and maintain Phase 1
of the Highway through a public-private partnership. In
construction and finance industries, these consortia
include some of the most prominent international
construction firms and operators of toll highways.
It is anticipated that a
consortia will be awarded the concession during the first
half of 1997, and that the selected concessionaire will
complete the construction of Phase 1 four to five year
later. In order to facilitate the implementation of the
project the Government has allocated budgets for the
construction of two major interchanges (Ben Shemen and
Kessem) which are on the critical parts of the project
completion. Work on the Ben Shemen interchange is already
at an advanced stage.
The second phase of the
Cross Israel Highway project includes an additional 48
kms to the north and south of Phase 1.
The economic benefits of
this route are expected to include:
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1.
Reduction of vehicle operating costs, travel time, as
well as facilitating easier access to most parts of
Israel, along with decreasing the number traffic
accidents;
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2.
Increased opportunities to expand employment
opportunities through the development of commercial
centers, and industrial zones along the highway;
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3.
Enhanced development of tourist facilities;
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4.
Improved environmental quality due to the dispersal of
air pollution in the coastal plane;
Israel is presently seeking to focus on the expansion of
the country's physical infrastructure, in order to deal
with the growing pressure on its transportation network.
The factors that have led to the urgent need for
investment in this field are:
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the
previous low prioritization of infrastructure
investment;
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the
massive economic growth Israel has experienced in
recent years;
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and
the potential for converting Israel into a major
transportation hub within the Middle East in the wake
of the peace process.
In this document some of
the main projects Israel is seeking to implement in all
areas of the transportation system have been outlined.
Israel's ability to finance and construct these programs
will largely determine the economy's ability to attain
future economic growth, as well as its ability to take
advantage of its strategic geographical location in the
region and exploit this advantage for economic benefit. In
this document some of the main projects Israel is seeking
to implement in all areas of the transportation system
have been outlined. Israel's ability to finance and
construct these programs will largely determine the
economy's ability to attain future economic growth, as
well as its ability to take advantage of its strategic
geographical location in the region and exploit this
advantage for economic benefit.
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