Israel posesses an expansive freeway network around Tel Aviv (Gush Dan metropolitan area), but other areas of Israel have very few freeways, only Highway 1 is a freeway to Jerusalem and Highway 2 runs to Haifa. Highway 6 runs north-south through the center of the country, bypassing Tel Aviv.
Most Tel Aviv freeways have 6 to 8 lanes, and are frequently congested, especially the Ayalon highway which runs through the city center (Ramat Gan).
The Israeli road numbering system makes no difference between freeways, expressways or regular roads, but freeways have a blue road number, where 1 and 2 digit regular roads have a red background, and 3 digit roads have a green background. Some 3-digit roads are up to freeway standards, such as route 404, 431, 471 and 531. There are also 4-digit road numbers, but those are only of local importance and often only a few kilometers long.
The road numbers are layed in a grid, even numbers run north south, increasing from west to east. odd numbers run east-west, increasing from south to north. The road numbering system also applies in areas of the West Bank and Golan that are controlled by Israel (thus the Israeli road administration), but there are no Israeli road numbers in Palestinian controlled areas of the West Bank and all of the Gaza strip. There are no freeways in the West Bank, but there are a number of 4-lane divided expressways, such as route 1, 5 and 404.
Israel has several border crossings, but except for Egypt and Jordan, they are closed with other countries. The UN maintains buffer zones between Israel and Libanon / Syria. Some border crossings to these countries are controlled by UN, but not open to civilians or tourists. That said, it's impossible to enter Israel from Europe over land. You have to ship your car to Haifa, or fly there and rent a car.
Israeli roads and signage are a mix of European and American signs, for instance, yellow edge markings are used, as are "exit only" signage. The font seems to be Highway Gothic, and signs are often in three languages; Hebrew, Arabic and English. Freeways have blue signage, other roads have green or white signage. Road signs are similar to those used in Europe, except perhaps for the camel sign, which warns for camels on the road, which obviously doesn't happen in Europe. There are yellow warning signs, which are also in the three languages mentioned.
Israel has one toll road, highway 6 which runs north-south through the center of the country. There are no toll plaza's, you can use transponders or a pic of your license plate is taken, and you are billed every month. People who use transponders have 40 - 80% discount.
It's common to have railway lines and stations in the median of freeways in the Tel Aviv area. Due to population growth, new freeways are constantly constructed, and existing ones are widened.
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Topic: Roads and highways in Israel (Read 17507 times)