History in Samaria: Transportation Minister Miri Regev reached an agreement today (Thursday) with the head of the Samaria Regional Council, Yossi Dagan, during a tour they conducted in Samaria. They agreed that within less than a year, in the summer of 2024, the expansion of Highway 505 will begin, connecting Ariel Junction to Tapuach Junction, at a cost of 500 million shekels. Additionally, Regev and Dagan agreed that, at Dagan's request, Highway 5 will be expanded, extending from Tapuach Junction to Petza'el Junction, connecting to "Gandi Road," the Jordan Valley Highway, at an additional cost of one and a half billion shekels.
The expanded highway will constitute the first major cross-country road in the State of Israel from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River, and it is expected to have strategic, transportation, and security significance of the highest degree for the State of Israel. Minister Regev instructed the immediate deployment of professional teams to commence detailed planning for the highway, which upon completion will enter immediate execution as part of the Five-Year Transportation Plan.
"The expansion of Highway 5 to four lanes is a fact that will be implemented in the coming year. In the first stage, we will initiate a tender for the immediate execution of the section between Ariel Square and the Tapuach junction, at a cost of 500 million shekels," Regev told Dagan. "In parallel, we will advance detailed planning for the doubling of the continuation of the highway to Highway HaBik'a, and as soon as it is completed, we will proceed with its execution. The goal is to pave the first full-width cross-country road in the State of Israel, joining the longitudinal axes, such as Highway 2, Highway 4, and Highway 6."
The minister added, "During my previous term as Minister of Transportation, we installed lighting on Highway 505 from Tapuach towards Migdalim and eastward, and I initiated the doubling of Highway 5 along its entire length as a vital strategic goal. I decided to advance the initial planning, and today we can proceed with execution. This highway holds strategic importance for the entire country, and it is excellent news for all the residents of the region. This also advances the agenda of all of us, the one million residents in Samaria."
In response, Dagan thanked Minister Regev and emphasized the importance of the highway for the citizens of Israel: "We have set for ourselves the shared goal of bringing a million residents to Samaria. The road to one million residents in Samaria goes through construction, preserving national lands, and most importantly, road infrastructure. For years, even in the previous government, I have been working alongside Minister Miri Regev – a true friend of settlement – to promote this strategic issue of doubling Highway 5 to the Jordan Valley."
"From the very beginning, you went for this project as a project of strategic, transportation, and security importance of the highest order for the State of Israel," he added and said to Minister Regev, "From the moment you returned to your role, Miri, you took on this issue as a strategic matter, and after half a year of work. I thank the Almighty that we have reached this moment."
"This is one of the strategic events in the history of the settlement and the State of Israel as a whole. Miri, you are a true partner, and not just the settlers but all of the people of Israel are grateful to you," he concluded. "Many thanks to Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a true strategic partner in this process, who worked with us on this matter and greatly assisted in securing the funding for the transportation plan, and we know how important this issue is to him, and he is fully invested in it."