Jerusalem Road 21

Jerusalem Road 21 is a new road beginning at Highway 1 between Ramat Shlomo and Shu'afat northward to Beit Hanina and the Atarot Industrial Park.[2][3][4][5] Plans call for a boulevard with two lanes in each direction.[6] Construction is expected to cost NIS 112 million and was originally expected to be completed by January 2015.[2]

Jerusalem Road 21
כביש 21 ירושלים
Atarot Convoy Road[1] דרך שיירת עטרות
Route information
Length	7.35 km (4.57 mi)
History	Completed 2014
Major junctions
South end	Highway 1 (Yigael Yadin Blvd)
North end	Beit Horon Road, Atarot
Highway system
Roads in Israel Highways

Route

The route begins at a new junction on Highway 1 (Yigael Yadin Boulevard)[7] 700 metres (2,300 ft) west of the Sha'ar Mizrah Junction with Highway 60. Traveling northward, the road includes new entrances to Ramat Shlomo and Shu'afat reaching an altitude of 810 m. It continues along the western slopes of Shu'afat and Beit Hanina above the valley of the Atarot Stream as far as Helet Sinad St.

From there the road will proceed northward, intersecting with the new Jerusalem Road 20 and continue through north-west Beit Hanina, finally ending at the Atarot Industrial Park. Rather than through cutting and bridging to cross the many draws along the hillside, the road's alignment will follow a curving route while maintaining a relatively stable grade with minimal engineering.

History

Plans for the road were advanced in 2002 when Moriah Jerusalem Development Corporation approved designs and published tenders for its construction.[6] In 2005, the Israel Ministry af Transport approved financing for more detailed designs and initial clearing and fencing along the route.[5] In 2010, the Jerusalem Municipality announced its intention to purchase land for that purpose.[8]

When the road was first proposed, the stated official purpose was to provide an alternative to part of the existing north-south route in the area.[3] Specifically, Shuafat Road suffers traffic congestion during rush hours as a result of the Jerusalem Light Rail which runs along its median. This will be alleviated by several access points to the new road from the west side of Shuafat and Beit Hanina.

Palestinian groups point to an additional phrase in the stated purpose which says the new road would provide additional access to Ramat Shlomo and future neighborhoods[3] (such as Nof Shmu'el)[9] which are considered illegal settlements by the international community.

Construction began in early 2013 beginning at the southern end at Highway 1 (Yigael Yadin Boulevard). During the initial stages of clearing, Moriah Corporation unearthed a previously unknown stone quarry and stonecutters tools dating from over 2000 years ago. According to Irene Zilberbod, excavation director on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, the size and type of cuttings indicated that this particular quarry probably supplied stones for magnificent public buildings.[10]

The section from Highway 1 to the first traffic circle opened September, 2014. The next section to the second traffic circle opened November, 2014.[11] The final section of the southern part of Road 21 from Yekutiel Adam Blvd. to Shomaan Street (Road 20) was completed in June, 2020.[12][13][14]

Planned junctions (south to north)

km	Name	Type	Location	Road(s) Crossed	Notes
0			Shu'afat, Ramat Shlomo	Highway 1 (Yigael Yadin Boulevard)	(to and from westbound Highway 1 only)
0.35			Shu'afat, Ramat Shlomo	al-Masharif Street (al-Maslah Street), Hazon Ish Street
0.85			Shu'afat	al-Janid Street (Bir al Sabil Street)	(northbound only)
1.55			Shu'afat, Ramat Shlomo	al-Daher Street (west) to HaRav Almoshnino Street
1.6			Shu'afat	al-Daher Street (east)	(northbound only)
1.82			Shu'afat	al-Ras Street	(southbound only)
1.85			Shuafat	al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf St (al-Sahel Street)
2			Shuafat	al Qaqa' St	(southbound only)
2.4			Shuafat	Helet Sinad Street	(no left turns)
2.55			Shuafat	extension to Yekutiel Adam Blvd. to Highway 60
2.7			Beit Hanina		(northbound only)
2.92			Beit Hanina	Wadi Um al-Ameed Street	(no left turns)
3.1			Beit Hanina	al-Huda Street
3.65			Beit Hanina	Khalet Mesh'al Street	(no left turns)
4.25			Beit Hanina	Jerusalem Road 20 (Abdul Hamid Shomaan Street)
Section 4 - Under Construction
5.2			Beit Hanina	Khalil al-Sakakini Road
6			Beit Hanina	Bir Nabala Road
6.5			Beit Hanina	Eliya Abu-Madi Street
7.35			Atarot Industrial Park	Beit Horon Road

References

1. "Street Name Search Systym". Jerusalem Municipality. Retrieved 2020-06-11.(in Hebrew)
2. "Road 21 - in Jerusalem". Israel Ministry of Transport, National Infrastructure & Road Safety. section 4. Archived from the original on 2013-10-15. Retrieved 2012-12-30.(in Hebrew)
3. "Arterial road system planned in 2012". Jerusalem Municipality. section 3. Archived from the original on 2013-01-11. Retrieved 2012-12-30.(in Hebrew)
4. "Jerusalem Transportation Network-map". Jerusalem Transport Master Plan Committee. Archived from the original on 2012-12-18. Retrieved 2011-12-30.(in Hebrew)
5. "Road 21". Moriah-Jerusalem Development Company Ltd. Archived from the original on 2014-10-28. Retrieved 2012-12-30.(in Hebrew)
6. Gal Nissim. "Moriah Plans Road 21". Globe - Israel's Business Arena. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2012-12-30.(in Hebrew)
7. Street View - Highway 1 at site of southern end of Road 21 looking northeast (Map). Google Maps. October 2011. Retrieved 2013-04-06.
8. "Israeli Violations in Occupied East Jerusalem" (PDF). Civic Coalition for Palestinian Rights in Jerusalem. December 2011. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-08-06. Retrieved 2012-12-30.(in Hebrew)
9. Yehuda Pearl (2012-04-22). "First Sabbath in Nof Shmuel". HaKol HaYehudi. Retrieved 2013-05-23.(in Hebrew)
10. "An Enormous Quarry Dating to the Second Temple Period was Exposed". Israel Antiquities Authority. May 2013. Retrieved 2013-05-23.(in Hebrew)
11. "Opening of Road 21 - Section 2". Jerusalem Municipality. 2014-11-20. Retrieved 2015-08-10.(in Hebrew)
12. 2010 Satellite View - Jerusalem Road 21 between Helet Sinad Street and Shoman Street (Map). Survey of Israel - National Mapping Agency. 2010. Retrieved 2020-07-02.(in Hebrew)
13. 2019 Satellite View - Jerusalem Road 21 between Helet Sinad Street and Shoman Street (Map). Survey of Israel - National Mapping Agency. 2019. Retrieved 2020-07-02.(in Hebrew)
14. "Route 21 South Inaugurated". Jerusalem Net - Official Website of Jerusalem Radio 89.5 & 101 FM. 2020-06-02. Retrieved 2020-07-09.(in Hebrew)

External links