Highway 60 (Israel)

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Highway 60 (Hebrew: כביש 60‎, "Kvish Shishim") is a north-south intercity road in Israel and the West Bank that stretches from Beersheba to Nazareth.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Route

Route 60 south of Afula

The route is also known as the "Way of the Patriarchs" (Hebrew: דרך האבות‎) since it follows the path of the ancient highway that runs along the length of the central watershed, and which prominently figures into the travels of the Biblical patriarchs.

From its junction with Route 40 in Beersheba to the city's outskirts, Route 60 is a dual carriageway with at-grade intersections. While it continues on to serve as the main north-south artery between Israeli settlements and Palestinian communities such as the cities of Hebron and Bethlehem in the southern West Bank, it is a two-lane, shoulderless road until past Hebron at Gush Etzion Junction, where it regains its lane-separation until short of Bethlehem, that section having recently been widened. Upon entering Jerusalem, its lanes are again mostly separated as it serves as a central artery in the city center. In the northern quarters it becomes a separate grade freeway with multiple interchanges, from where it continues through the central and northern West Bank as a two-lane road, not being divided again until the stretch between Afula and its terminus in downtown Nazareth.^[1]

Due to it running through a mainly rural setting, many of the junctions along its route feature hitchhiking posts called trempiadas.

[edit] Highway 60 in Jerusalem

Within Jerusalem, Highway 60, known by the municipality as the Talpiot–Atarot route and often referred to by its official Jerusalem Municipality designation, "Road 1" (not to be confused with National Highway 1), is the central north-south artery running through the city centre. The Jerusalem portion of the road begins at the Tunnels Road (the northern end of the Bethlehem Bypass), passes the edges of Gilo and Beit Safafa, joins the "Hebron Road" (Hebrew: דרך חברון‎) from Bethlehem and continues northward through Talpiot. This section is divided with multiple lanes and has undergone recent construction to include dedicated bus lanes and infrastructure for its eventual conversion into a line of the Jerusalem Light Rail.

At its junction with 'David Remez Street'. in the Abu Tor neighborhood, Route 60 narrows and descends into the Hinnom Valley, curving around Sultan's Pool directly under Mount Zion. It then ascends as 'Hativat Yerushalayim Street' to intersect with the Jaffa Gate entrance to the Old City of Jerusalem.

Road 60 crossing Street of the Prophets; the Dome of the Rock can be seen in the far right background.

From there it runs underneath the Jaffa Gate Square, briefly overlaps Jaffa Road and then it enters a tunnel passing underneath Jerusalem's New Gate. It emerges just west of the Damascus Gate intersecting with Street of the Prophets, again becoming a divided street. This section of the road includes tracks for the now completed Jerusalem Light Rail's 'red line'.

Briefly called Heil HaHandassa Boulevard and then 'Haim Bar-Lev Boulevard', it continues northward passing Meah Shearim, the American Colony, and French Hill, until Meinertzhagen junction, where it becomes a separate grade freeway. As a freeway, it interchanges with Highway 1 at Sha'ar Mizrah. The freeway then bypasses Shuafat with one of the longest and highest bridges in the country, feeding into Beit Hanina and Pisgat Ze'ev with two more interchanges. It continues as an at-grade road intersecting with 'Neve Yaakov Blvd' and finally exits the city near Kalandia.

[edit] Bypass roads

Before the Oslo Accords, Palestinians lived under Israeli authority and could travel freely on the road. After the Palestinian Authority assumed control over various cities, Israel established checkpoints on areas of the route which entered Palestinian jurisdiction. New routes of highway were paved so that Israeli traffic could bypass the Palestinian towns in order to reduce friction. These so-called 'bypass roads,' while a contentious issue in their own right due to the varying levels of limitation on Palestinian access, also served as an improvement to the road which allowed traffic to flow around, rather than through the heart of congested urban areas.

Tunnel and bridge to Gush Etzion below Gilo

One of the more sophisticated segments is the stretch known as the "Tunnels Highway." Designed by a French firm^[specify], the route, which leads from southern Jerusalem to the Gush Etzion area, bypasses Bethlehem to the northwest using a pair of tunnels. The northern tunnel, called the Gilo tunnel because it is adjacent to the settlement of Gilo, is 270 metres long. The second tunnel, called the Refaim tunnel based on the nearby Refaim Valley and passing under Har Gilo and Beit Jala, is 900 m long, making it the longest road tunnel in the West Bank. The tunnels are linked by the West Bank's highest and longest bridge, crossing the Walaja Valley.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Arab-Israeli conflict

Route 60 was a central scene of violence during the al-Aqsa Intifada, which was in part defined by the thousands of shooting attacks on its Israeli traffic, including hundreds of casualties.^{[citation needed]} The Israeli Army, in response, has fortified various sections with anti-sniper walls and had established checkpoints along the route.^{[citation needed]} The Tunnels Highway came under particularly heavy assault during the shooting on Gilo neighborhood since it lies between Gilo and Beit Jala. The concrete barriers employed on other dangerous stretches of road were too heavy to be supported by the bridge, and so a barrier of bulletproof composite armour similar to that employed on Merkava tanks was constructed.^{[citation needed]}

The road was also the site of terrorist attacks in June^{[citation needed]} and August 2010.^[2]^[3]

[edit] Junctions

km	Location	Name	Meaning	Road(s) Crossed
↓Beersheba Municipal Boundary↓
Hebron Road
0	Beersheba			David Hacham Blvd.
0.3	Industrial Zone			Nordau St., Rothschild Blvd.
0.4	Industrial Zone			Dekel St.
0.4	Industrail Zone			HaNagarim St.
0.7	Industrial Zone			HaTahana St.
0.8	Industrial Zone			HaNagarim St.
0.9	Industrial Zone			Shazar Blvd.
1	Industrial Zone			Pinhas HaHotzev St.
1.2	Industrial Zone			Yosef HaBurska'i St.
1.5	Shopping District Industrial Zone			Heil HaHandasa St. Yitzhak Nafaha St.
2.4	Industrial Zone			Saadia Malal Blvd.
2.4	Industrial Zone			David Ben Gurion Blvd.
2.6	Machteshim Industrial Zone			Avraham Ben Ami St.
3.5	Beersheba	צומת חטיבת הנגב (Hativat HaNegev Junction)	Negev Brigade	Ben Tzion Carmel Blvd. to Route 40 south
↑Beersheba Municipal Boundary↑
4.3	Omer, Tel as-Sabi	צומת תל שבע (Tel Sheva Junction)	'Seven' or 'Oath'	Tel Sheva Rd. to Route 40 north
5.7	Omer			Tamar St.
5.9	Omer Industrial Park			Omrim St.
7.3	Omer			Tapuah St.
9.9	Tarabin al-Sane'/Umra, Umm Batin			local road
11	Abu Sabit, al-Sayyid			local road
13.1		צומת שוקת (Shoket Junction)	Water Trough	route 31 East
13.2		צומת שוקת (Shoket Junction)		route 31 West
14.5	Carmit (city under construction)			local road
15.7	Meitar	מחלף מיתר (Meitar interchange)	Cord	Hebron Blvd.
16.2	Kibbitz Kramim	צומת כרמים (Kramim Junction)	Vineyards	local road
17.6		צומת סנסנה (Sansana Junction)	(Biblical) Palm Tree	local road to Sansana
18.5	Green Line
18.5	Green Line, Meitar Terminal^[4]			entrance to passenger terminal and cargo transfer station
18.6	Meitar Security Checkpoint
↑NO southbound through-traffic for green (Palestinian Authority) license plates↑
18.7	Green Line, Meitar Terminal			route 6002 to Teneh Omarim, ad-Dhahiriya, Meitar Terminal
Dhahiriya Bypass
27	Meitarim Industrial Park	צומת שמעה (Shim'a Junction)	named after minor biblical figure	route 317
27.1	Shim'a (Yonadav)			local road
28	Mitzpe Eshtemoa			local road
31.9	as-Simya, as-Samu'			route 3178
35.4	Otniel			local road
35.3	Otniel, Karma	צומת עתניאל (Otniel Junction)	named after biblical judge	local road
Otniel-Hagai Road
33.9	Karma			local road
37	Deir Razih			local road
37.9	Tarrama			route 3265
38.8	al-Hijra, Hadab al-Fawwar, al-Fawwar			route 3266
41.2	South Hebron			local road
Hebron Bypass
41.4	Beit Hagai			local road
45.7	South Hebron			local road entrance to Industrial Park
47.7				route 356 to Zif
49.1	Bani Naim			local road
50.9	Kiryat Arba			local road open during some Jewish festivals for overflow traffic
52.2	Kiryat Arba			Views of Mamre St.
55	Beit Einun, Khirbat Zayta, Hebron			local road
55.9	Hebron, Halhul	צומת העוקפים (HaOkfim Junction)	the bypasses	Highway 35
Halhul bypass
59.2	Halhul, Sa'ir			route 3517
62.6	Halhul			local road
Halhul-Arrub Road
62.8	Karmei Tzur			local road
64.9	Beit Ummar			route 3527
66.8	Mu'askar al-Arrub, al-Arrub			local road
Gush Road
69.5	Alon Shvut, Beit Fajjar	צומת גוש עציון (Gush Etzion Junction)	Etzion Bloc	route 367
70.7	Efrat	צומת אפרת דרום South Efrat Junction		route 3157
72	Elazar			local road
73.3	Neve Daniel			local road
75.8	al-Khader, Efrat	צומת שיירות אציון (Shayarot Etzion Junction)	Etzion Convoys	local road
Bethlehem Bypass
78.4	al-Khader, Husan	צומת אל חאדר (al-Khader Junction)	The Green One	route 375 to Beitar Illit
79.5	Beit Jala			al-Amal St.
↓NO northbound through-traffic for green (Palestinian Authority) license plates↓ green license plates continue to Route 60 north via al-Khader or Beit Jala, local roads, routes 398, 417 and 437
79.6	Tunnels / Patriarch's Way Security checkpoint
Tunnels Road
80.6	Beit Jala	מנהרת רפאים (Refaim Tunnel) 2 lanes, 900 m.	Ghosts
82.2	Beit Jala, Gilo	Bridge 2 lanes, 400 m.
82.6	Gilo	מנהרת גילה (Gilo Tunnel) 2 lanes, 250 m.
↓Jerusalem Municipal Boundary↓
83.3	Jerusalem Gilo	צומת המנהרות (HaMinharot Junction)	Tunnels	HaRosmarin St
HaRosmarin St
83.5	Beit Safafa, Tantur			A-Safa St., entrance to Tantur
Hebron Road
83.6	Beit Safafa, Tantur	צומת טנטור (Tantur Junction)	Hilltop	Hebron Road south to Bethlehem
83.7	Mar Elias Monastery			local road
84.7	Har Homa			route 398 Shmuel Meir Blvd.
84.9	Givat HaMatos, Beit Safafa			local road
84.9	Green Line
85.2	Talpiot			Derech Beit Lehem
85.5	Talpiot			HaUman St, Asher Wiener St.
86.2	Talpiot			HaTnufa St.
86.4	Talpiot			Dostrovsky St.
86.7	Talpiot	כיכר יצחק לוי (Yitzhak Levi Square) צומת הבנקים (Banks Junction)		Rivka St., Ein Gedi St.
87	Baka, Talpiot			Yehuda St., Daniel Yanovsky St.
87.3	Baka			Queen Esther St.
87.6	Baka			Miriam HaHashmonait St.
87.7	Talpiot	כיכר בולגריה (Bulgaria Square)		Hanoch Albeck St.
87.8	Abu Tor			Naomi St.
88	Abu Tor			Gihon St.
88.2	Abu Tor			Aminadav St.
88.4	Abu Tor	כיכר יוסף נבון (Yosef Navon Square)		David Remez St., HaMefaked St.
89	Old City			Ma'ale HaShalom St.
Hativat Yerushalayim Street
89.4	Old City, Jaffa Gate			Omar ibn il-Khatab St
Jaffa Road Street
89.5	Old City, Jaffa Gate	כיכר שער יפו (Jaffa Gate Square)		Yitzhak Kariv St.
Paratroopers Street
89.9	Old City, New Gate	מנהרת הצנחנים (HaTzanhanim Tunnel) 2 lanes, 500m.	Paratroopers	local road
Heil HaHandasa Street
90.6	Musrara, Mas'udiyya			HaNevi'im St. Antarah ibn Shaddad St. Jerusalem Light Rail Station
90.7	Musrara, Mas'udiyya			Naomi Kis St., Ibn al-'As St. HaHoma HaShlishit St.
91	Beit Yisrael, American Colony	כיכר פיקוד הצפון (Central Command Square)		Shmuel HaNavi St. Shivtei Yisrael St. Saint George St. Jerusalem Light Rail Station
Haim Bar-Lev Street
91.3	Beit Yisrael, American Colony			Moshe Zaks St. Pierre van Paassen St.
91.6	Green Line
91.7	Arzei HaBira, Sheikh Jarrah			Shimon HaTzadik St. Jerusalem Light Rail Station
92.3	Ma'alot Dafna, Sheikh Jarrah			Zalman Shragai St. Clermont-Ganneau St.
92.6	Givat HaMivtar, French Hill	כיכר מיינרצהאגן (Meinertzhagen Square)		route 417 Levi Eshkol Blvd. Hebrew University Blvd. Jerusalem Light Rail Station
93.2	Giv'at HaMivtar, French Hill			Sheshet HaYamim Blvd HaHagana Blvd. Jerusalem Light Rail Station
Uzi Narkis Road
93.5	Shuafat, French Hill	מחלף שער מזרח (Sha'ar Mizrah Interchange)	East Gate	Highway 1
95.1	Shuafat, Pisgat Zeev			Yekutiel Adam Blvd.
96.1	Beit Hanina, Pisgat Zeev			Hamid Shomaan St. Sayeret Duchifat Blvd. to route 437
97.4	Beit Hanina, Pisgat Zeev, Neve Ya'akov			Beit Hanina Rd. Neve Ya'akov Blvd.
Ramallah Road
	Shikunei Nuseiba, Dahiat al-Band			14 local streets
98.9	Atarot			Bir Nabala Rd. (westbound only)
99.4	Atarot			Aviation Rd.
100.4	Qalandia Atarot Airport			to Highway 45
↑Jerusalem Municipal Boundary↑
↓NO northbound through-traffic for yellow (Israeli) license plates↓ yellow license plates continue to Route 60 north via Sayeret Duchifat Blvd. and route 437
100.5	Qalandia Security checkpoint
↑NO southbound through-traffic for green (Palestinian Authority) license plates↑ green license plates continue to Route 60 south via routes 437, 417, 398 and local roads, Beit Jala or al-Khader
100.6	Kafr 'Aqab			Ramallah Road
Ramallah Bypass
101.9	Ar-Ram, Jaba'			Bir Nabala Rd
↓yellow license plates rejoin Route 60 north from Route 437↓
104.4	Geva Binyamin			Highway 437, Adam Blvd.
105.1	Sha'ar Binyamin Industrial Park			local road
106.1	Mikhmas			local road
106.2	Kokhav Ya'akov, Psagot			local road
107.3	Ma'ale Mikhmas			route 457 to route 458
109.8	Migron (ordered removed by Apr 2012)^[5]			local road
112.4	al-Bireh, Beit El, Giv'at Asaf, Burqa, Beitin			route 466
113.4	Deir Dibwan			local road
118.1	Ofra			HaMiyasdim St.
118.3	Ein Yabrud, Yabrud, Silwad			route 449
123.1		צומת עם 'Am Junction		route 465 to Birzeit, Ateret
124.2	Al-Mazra'a ash-Sharqiya			route 4568
127.4	Sinjil			route 4665
129	Sinjil			local road
129.4	Turmus Ayya			local road
131.3	Shilo			local road
Wadi ash-Sha'ir Road
135.1	Eli			Elkana Rd.
135.3	Eli			14th of Elul St.
136.9	Ma'ale Levona			local road
137.9	Al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya			local road
140.3	Qabalan			route 4777
140.1	As-Sawiya			local road
142.7	Rechelim, Ariel			local road
145.1	Kfar Tapuach	צומת תפוח (Tapuah Junction)	Apple	Highway 505
Huwara Road
147.8	Beita			local road
147.9	Huwara			local streets
148.4	Huwara			route 5076, local streets
148.6	Huwara			local road to Odala local streets
149.3	Huwara			local road to Nablus local streets
Nablus Bypass
151.2	Yitzhar, Burin			local road
160.9	Sarra			local road to Nablus
161.1	Jit			route 55 (west)
163.9	Kedumim Local Council, Bar-On Industrial Park			local road
167.2				route 557 (west)
167.9	Shavei Shomron			local road
↓Travel for yellow (Israeli) license plates between Shomron Junction and Dotan Junction permitted, IDF escort recommended↓
169.9	Deir Sharaf	צומת שומרון (Shomron Junction)	Samaria	local road
169.8	An-Naqura			local road
171	Sebastia			route 5715
171.7	Sebastia			local road
177.1	Burqa			local road
178.4	Bazariya			local road
179.1	Homesh (evacuated)			local road
180.3	Silat ad-Dhahr			local streets
182.5	Fandaqumiya			local streets
183.9	Jaba			local road
184	Jaba			route 5725 to Sanur, Meithalun
184.8	Sa-Nur (evacuated)			local road
186	Ajjah			local road
187.5	Anzah			local road
189.6	Zawiya			local road
191.5				local road
194.2	Mirka	צומת דותן (Dotan Junction)	named after ancient city	route 585 route 588
↑Travel for yellow (Israeli) license plates between Dotan Junction and Shomron Junction permitted, IDF escort recommended↑
↓NO northbound through-traffic for yellow (Israeli) license plates↓
Route 588^[6]
194.5	Tel Dothan			local road
195.2	Bir al-Basha			6 local streets
↓Palestinian Authority Area A↓
199.7	Ash-Shuhada, Qabatiya	צומת קבאטיה (Qabatiya Junction)		local road
203.2	Jenin			22 local streets
207.2	Dahiyat Sabah al-Kheir			11 local streets
↑Palestinian Authority Area A↑
Jalamah Road^[6]
209.8	Jalamah			route 6010 South to Zababdeh, Wadi ad-Dabi' Kadim (evacuated) Ganim (evacuated)
210.2	Jalamah			6 local streets
211.2	Green Line, Jalamah Terminal^[7]			entrance to passenger terminal and cargo transfer station
211.4	Green Line
↓NO northbound through-traffic for green (Palestinian Authority) license plates↓
211.5	Jalamah Security checkpoint
↑NO southbound through-traffic for yellow (Israeli) license plates↑
211.8	Green Line, Jalamah Terminal, Muqeible			entrance to passenger terminal and cargo transfer station local road to Muqeible
212.7	Magen Shaul			local road
212.9	Sandala			2 local roads
214.3	Gan Ner			local road
216	Prazon			local road
217.2	Yizre'el, Avital	צומת יזרעאל (Yizre'el Junction)	God Sows	route 675
↓Afula Municipal Boundary↓
Jerusalem Boulevard
223.1	Afula	צומת אפולה דרום מזרח (Afula Drom Mizrah Junction)	South-East Afula	Menachem Begin Blvd.
223.3	Afula			Gilboa St.
223.6	Afula			Yehoshua Hankin St.
223.8	Afula			Ussishkin St.
223.9	Afula			Kehilat Tzion Blvd.
Yosef Sprinzak Boulevard
224	Afula			HaNasi Weizmann Blvd. Afula Central Bus Station
HaNasi Weizmann Boulevard
224.1	Afula			Jerusalem Blvd.
224.3	Afula	כיכר העצמאות (HaAtzma'ut Square)	Independence	Arlozorov St.
224.5	Afula	כיכר פז (Paz Square)		Moshe Sharett St. Holland St., Zalman Hod St.
Hativat Teisha' Boulevard
224.6	Afula			Zalman Shazar St.
224.7	Afula			Rimon St.
224.8	Afula			Hadasim St., Einstein Blvd.
224.9	Afula			Etrog St.
225	Afula			Tzaftzefot St., HaAvoda St.
225.2	Afula	צומת מכבי אש (Mikabei Esh Junction)	Firefighters	route 65 East Hadarim St., HaHistadrut Blvd.
225.4	Afula			Yukler B'Emek Shopping Center
226.2	Afula			route 65 West
↑Afula Municipal Boundary↑
226.9	Balfouria			local road
228.7	Kfar Gid'on			local road
229.2	Jezreel Valley Regional Council, Mizra, Emek Yezreel College			local road
230	Tel Adashim			local road
230.2	Tel Adashim	צומת עדשים (Adashim Junction)	Lentils	route 73
↓Nazareth Municipal Boundary↓
232.2	Nazareth	מחלף איכסאל (Iksal Interchange)	Chores	Marj Ibn Amer Rd.
232.6	Har HaKfitza (Mount Precipice)	Eitan Bridge 4 lanes, 400m.
233	Har HaKfitza (Mount Precipice)	Yitzhak Herskovitz Tunnels 4 lanes, 380m.
234.6	Nazareth			Wadi el-Hadj St.
235.1	Nazareth	צומת המוסכים (HaMusachim Junction)	Auto Repair Shops	route 75 (road 3001) HaZtionut Blvd. Tawfiq Ziad St.