5 years after the heads of authorities in Judea and Samaria and bereaved families opened a protest camp calling on the government to pave bypass roads in the area, the Minister of Transportation, Miri Regev, announced that this October work will begin on the construction of the Luban bypass road.
Regev claims: "The Bennett government decided not to budget for the road"
The bypass of Luban began in 2006 and was halted, resulting in only a portion of it being constructed, with some of the work remaining involving moving the separation barrier and the Rantis crossing. The bypass road, which was meant to serve tens of thousands of residents from the western Samaria region and held both safety and security significance, was cut short.
The Luban bypass road was initiated by the Ministry of Defense. Over the past five years, the planning progressed but was delayed for about a year and a half, according to Regav's statement, due to the decision of the Bennett government not to prioritize it. Now, the minister has decided to revisit and advance this important initiative.
Instead of driving through a Palestinian village: a bypass road of high standard
The new road is intended to divert vehicular traffic from Kfar Luban to the bypass road, aiming to enhance the safety of drivers. Currently, residents of the area and numerous travelers are forced to pass through the Palestinian village and endure long traffic jams, which could jeopardize their security.
With the assistance of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, the budget was approved and now, following the completion of the procedures, it has been decided that construction on the road will commence in October. Recently, Minister Regev decided to transfer it to Netivei Israel ("Israel Roads") and proceed with it immediately. The estimated cost for completing the road is 120 million NIS.
The bypass road will be built to a high standard and will include two travel lanes and one lane in each direction, with rigid separation and innovative lighting. The road is expected to open to traffic within two years. It is expected to increase safety and security on the roads in the region and is expected to significantly increase the settlement in the West Samaria region, and in the Western bloc (Peduel, Bruchin, Leshem).
Regev: "The government sees Judea and Samaria as the heart of the State of Israel"
Minister Regev said after the confirmation: "From the day I took office, I began to restart projects in Judea and Samaria that had been delayed or frozen for years, and to promote new projects within the ministry's five-year plan, which includes an unprecedented amount of more than three and a half billion shekels intended for development in Judea and Samaria."
Regev added and elaborated on the additional projects she is promoting throughout Judea and Samaria: "In the past month, I inaugurated the Al-Aroub bypass road, a project that I initiated during the previous term and had the privilege to inaugurate in the current term. This project joins a long line of initiatives I am advancing, including the Huwwara bypass, Qalandiya interchange, Route 437 Adam-Hizma, Route 446 Modi'in Illit, Route 375 Tzur Hadassah-Husan, Pundak bypass, Route 60 to Sha'ar Binyamin and from Ariel junction to Tapuach junction, and the expansion of Route 60 to the British Police junction.
"Lighting, risk centers and more. All of these express the order of priorities of the current government, which sees Judea and Samaria as the heart of the State of Israel, where it is necessary to invest like anywhere else in the country," added Regev.