Ayalon to Get Fast Lane, Electric Shuttle Buses

A grand project to keep motorists out of Tel Aviv gets underway this week, as the “Ayalon Fast Lane Project” begins. The joint project of the Transportation Ministry and the Netivei Ayalon company will see construction work to add several lanes to the Ayalon Freeway in Tel Aviv, including one for electric shuttle buses, and one dedicated to ride-sharing.

The work will take place strictly at night between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. to avoid further overburdening the already heavily traveled road. A key component of the project will include huge parking lots that drivers can use for free and then ride the soon-to-be-built light rail line that will run along the highway to get to their jobs. Extensive plans have been made for the parking lots and rail line, with an emphasis on efficiency and speed. The project will be complete in 2025.

Transportation Minister Betzalel Smotrich said that ensuring speed, efficiency, safety and comfort was the only way to convince drivers to use the new system, thus reducing the load of cars entering Tel Aviv. “When the project is complete, tens of thousands of drivers will be able to park their cars for free, and get to work using the free electric shuttle service. I have no doubt that this will be a significant development for anyone who travels to the Tel Aviv area,” Smotrich said.