Ben Shemen Interchange
Encyclopedia
Ben Shemen Interchange is a major freeway interchange complex in central Israel
, connecting Highway 1
, Highway 6
, Route 443 and Route 444, as well as several local roads. The interchange is located near moshav
Ben Shemen
and Ben Shemen Forest, hence its name. It is one of the largest and most complex interchanges in the country.
between Highway 1 and Route 443 in 1981. It was improved in 1996 with the addition of two Y interchanges, providing a direct connection between Highway 1 and eastbound Route 443 and creating a short freeway branch off Route 443.
Major construction work took place between 1999 and 2003 as part of the construction of Highway 6. These works included the replacement of the original Route 443 bridge, a new Y interchange with Highway 1 and a new diamond interchange with Route 444. The interchange partially opened on October 28, 2002 with the opening of northbound Highway 6. The interchange fully opened on January 20, 2003.
The interchange is a complex of six distinct smaller interchanges, containing three Y interchanges, two diamond interchanges and one Parclo.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, connecting Highway 1
Highway 1 (Israel)
Highway 1 , is the main highway connecting Tel Aviv with Jerusalem.-History:The section between Latrun and Jerusalem roughly follows an ancient path connecting Jaffa and Jerusalem...
, Highway 6
Highway 6 (Israel)
Highway 6 , widely known as the Trans-Israel Highway or Cross-Israel Highway , is a major electronic toll highway in Israel. The highway was officially dedicated as the Yitzhak Rabin Highway , though this name is not commonly used. It started operating in the early 2000s and is being lengthened as...
, Route 443 and Route 444, as well as several local roads. The interchange is located near moshav
Moshav
Moshav is a type of Israeli town or settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists during the second aliyah...
Ben Shemen
Ben Shemen
Ben Shemen is a moshav in central Israel. Located around four kilometres east of Lod, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hevel Modi'in Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 627....
and Ben Shemen Forest, hence its name. It is one of the largest and most complex interchanges in the country.
History
The interchange first opened as a simple diamond interchangeDiamond interchange
A diamond interchange is a common type of road junction, used where a freeway crosses a minor road. The freeway itself is grade-separated from the minor road, one crossing the other over a bridge...
between Highway 1 and Route 443 in 1981. It was improved in 1996 with the addition of two Y interchanges, providing a direct connection between Highway 1 and eastbound Route 443 and creating a short freeway branch off Route 443.
Major construction work took place between 1999 and 2003 as part of the construction of Highway 6. These works included the replacement of the original Route 443 bridge, a new Y interchange with Highway 1 and a new diamond interchange with Route 444. The interchange partially opened on October 28, 2002 with the opening of northbound Highway 6. The interchange fully opened on January 20, 2003.
Layout
Four freeway segments (of three different freeways) and three at-grade segments enter the interchange:- From the west: Highway 1 (freeway) and Route 443 (at grade)
- From the north: Highway 6 (freeway) and Route 444 (at grade)
- From the east: Route 443 (splits into a short freeway branch and an at-grade section)
- From the south: merged (concurrentConcurrency (road)A concurrency, overlap, or coincidence in a road network is an instance of one physical road bearing two or more different highway, motorway, or other route numbers...
) section of Highway 1 and Highway 6 (freeways)
The interchange is a complex of six distinct smaller interchanges, containing three Y interchanges, two diamond interchanges and one Parclo.