Highway 2 is an
IsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i
highwayA highway is any public road. In American English, the term is common and almost always designates major roads. In British English, the term designates any road open to the public. Any interconnected set of highways can be variously referred to as a "highway system", a "highway network", or a...
located on the
coastal plainA coastal plain is an area of flat, low-lying land adjacent to a seacoast and separated from the interior by other features. One of the world's longest coastal plains is located in eastern South America. The southwestern coastal plain of North America is notable for its species diversity...
of the
Mediterranean SeaThe Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
. It stretches from
Tel AvivTel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
to
HaifaHaifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
. The highway is also called
The Coastal Highway or
The New Haifa - Tel Aviv Highway .
Highway 2 is one of the busiest highways in the country, and drivers experience frequent
traffic congestionTraffic congestion is a condition on road networks that occurs as use increases, and is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queueing. The most common example is the physical use of roads by vehicles. When traffic demand is great enough that the interaction...
between Hadera and Tel Aviv during rush hours. The northern sections are also congested at times, especially during weekends and holidays, when many Israelis travel north for vacation.
History
The first section of the highway between Tel Aviv and
NetanyaNetanya is a city in the Northern Centre District of Israel, and is the capital of the surrounding Sharon plain. It is located north of Tel Aviv, and south of Haifa between the 'Poleg' stream and Wingate Institute in the south and the 'Avichail' stream in the north.Its of beaches have made the...
was built in the early 1950s as a two lane road with
at-grade intersectionAn at-grade intersection is a junction at which two or more transport axes cross at the same level .-Traffic management:With areas of high or fast traffic, an at-grade intersection normally requires a traffic control device such as a stop sign, traffic light or railway signal to manage conflicting...
s. The next section was built later that decade, extending the highway north to Olga Junction in
HaderaHadera is a city located in the Haifa District of Israel approximately from the major cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa. The city is located along of the Israeli Mediterranean Coastal Plain...
. This section was also built as a two lane road. In 1965 the highway was widened to four lanes between Tel Aviv and Hadera, however
grade separationGrade separation is the method of aligning a junction of two or more transport axes at different heights so that they will not disrupt the traffic flow on other transit routes when they cross each other. The composition of such transport axes does not have to be uniform; it can consist of a...
s were not built at this point.
The last section of the highway, between Olga Junction and Haifa, opened in 1969. When this section opened it was the first freeway in Israel. Deteriorating road conditions caused by years of neglect led to this section being downgraded from its original freeway status. Road signs on this section are still blue (as opposed to green on regular highways), however there are no signs indicating an entrance or exit from a freeway and the maximum speed limit is 90 km/h, as opposed to 100 or 110 on Israeli freeways.
The junctions on the older sections of the highway were gradually grade separated: Netanya Interchange was built in 1974, Poleg Interchange in 1975, Havazelet Interchange in 1989, Yanai Interchange in 1990, Olga Interchange in 1993, Hof HaSharon Interchange in 1994 and Rabin Interchange and HaSira Interchange in 1995. Today the highway is fully grade separated between Haifa South Interchange and West Glilot Interchange.
The Tel Aviv - Netanya section was widened to six lanes in the 1990s.
The West Glilot Interchange opened on February 28, 2007, providing a direct connection to eastbound
Highway 5Highway 5, or the Trans-Samaria Highway , is one of Israel's main highways, connecting the Mediterranean coast immediately north of Tel Aviv with the central Sharon plain and eastwards to Ariel and other Israeli settlements in the northern West Bank, known under the biblical name Samaria.The name...
and to the
Ayalon HighwayHighway 20, more commonly the Ayalon Highway , is a major intracity freeway in Gush Dan, Israel. The road runs along Tel Aviv's center eastern border from north to south and connects all of the major highways leading to the city - such as Highway 4 from Ashdod and the Southern regions, Highway 2...
.
Future plans
There are plans to continue the six lane section north to the Zikhron Ya'akov Interchange. These plans also include upgrading the remaining section between Zikhron Ya'aqov and Haifa back to freeway standards.
The
Carmel TunnelsThe Carmel Tunnels are a set of road tunnels in and around Haifa, Israel. The tunnels' purpose is to reduce road congestion in the Haifa area and to provide an alternate route of reaching the eastern and central parts of the city, Haifa Bay and the Krayot area to and from Israel's central coastal...
form a northern extension of Highway 2 to the Krayot area north of Haifa. When
Highway 22Highway 22 is a partially built suburban freeway in the Haifa metropolitan area. The freeway is currently 4 km long, connecting downtown Haifa with the city's northern exit to the Krayot area....
is completed, then it and the tunnels, together with Highway 2, the Ayalon Highway and
Highway 4Highway 4 is an Israeli highway that runs along Israel's entire coastal plain of the Mediterranean Sea, its route in the north runs from the Rosh HaNikra border crossing with Lebanon until the Erez Border Crossing with the Gaza Strip...
will form a continuous limited-access, grade-separated route alongside nearly the entire Mediterranean coastline of Israel from
AcreAcre , is a city in the Western Galilee region of northern Israel at the northern extremity of Haifa Bay. Acre is one of the oldest continuously inhabited sites in the country....
(Akko) to
Ashdod (while a parallel, but more inland limited-access corridor will be provided by
Highway 6Highway 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...
when it is fully built).
Interchanges
| Location |
km |
Name |
Type |
Meaning |
Road(s) crossed |
HerzliyaHerzliya is a city in the central coast of Israel, at the western part of the Tel Aviv District. It has a population of 87,000 residents. Named after Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern Zionism, Herzliya covers an area of 26 km²...
|
0 |
מחלף גלילות מערב
(Glilot Ma'arav Interchange) |
|
Named after location of former
Jewish refugee campThe Ma'abarot were refugee absorption camps in Israel in the 1950s. The Ma'abarot were meant to provide accommodation for the large influx of Jewish refugees and new Olim arriving to the newly independent State of Israel, replacing the less habitable immigrant camps or tent cities...
West Glilot |
(Highway 5Highway 5, or the Trans-Samaria Highway , is one of Israel's main highways, connecting the Mediterranean coast immediately north of Tel Aviv with the central Sharon plain and eastwards to Ariel and other Israeli settlements in the northern West Bank, known under the biblical name Samaria.The name...
)
Namir Road |
| 3 |
מחלף הסירה
(HaSira Interchange) |
 |
The BoatA boat is a watercraft of any size designed to float or plane, to provide passage across water. Usually this water will be inland or in protected coastal areas. However, boats such as the whaleboat were designed to be operated from a ship in an offshore environment. In naval terms, a boat is a...
|
(Route 541) |
| 5 |
מחלף רבין
(Rabin
Interchange) |
|
Named after
Yitzhak Rabin' was an Israeli politician, statesman and general. He was the fifth Prime Minister of Israel, serving two terms in office, 1974–77 and 1992 until his assassination in 1995....
|
Keren Hayesod st. |
Ra'ananaRa'anana is a city in the heart of the southern Sharon Plain of the Central District of Israel with a population of 68,300, . Ra'anana is bordered by Kfar Sava on the east and Herzliya on the southwest...
|
6.6 |
|
|
|
(Route 531Route 531 , is a suburban freeway in the southern Sharon region of Israel, just north of the Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area.-Herzliya–Ra'anana extension:...
) |
| Shefayim Shefayim is a kibbutz in central Israel. Located 17 km north of Tel Aviv along the Mediterranean coast, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hof HaSharon Regional Council...
|
10 |
מחלף חוף השרון
(Hof HaSharon Interchange) |
|
Sharon Beach |
Local roads |
| Yakum Yakum is a kibbutz in central Israel, south of the Netanya. It is under the jurisdiction of the Hof HaSharon Regional Council and had a population of 555 in 2006.- Geography :...
|
11.2 |
|
|
|
(Route 551) |
NetanyaNetanya is a city in the Northern Centre District of Israel, and is the capital of the surrounding Sharon plain. It is located north of Tel Aviv, and south of Haifa between the 'Poleg' stream and Wingate Institute in the south and the 'Avichail' stream in the north.Its of beaches have made the...
|
17 |
מחלף פולג
(Poleg
Interchange) |
|
Named after nearby
Poleg StreamNahal Poleg is a stream in the Sharon plain in Israel that empties into the Mediterranean Sea between Netanya and the Wingate Institute.-Course:...
|
(Route 553) |
| 19 |
מחלף גשר השלום
(Gesher HaShalom Interchange) |
|
Peace Peace is a state of harmony characterized by the lack of violent conflict. Commonly understood as the absence of hostility, peace also suggests the existence of healthy or newly healed interpersonal or international relationships, prosperity in matters of social or economic welfare, the...
Bridge |
(Road 5611) |
| 23 |
מחלף נתניה
(Netanya Interchange) |
|
Named after location |
(Highway 57Highway 57 is an east-west highway through central Israel and the West Bank. In the past, it was an uninterrupted road from Netanya, a city on the Mediterranean coast in the west, to Damia Bridge across the Jordan River in the east. The road existed in its full length from the time of the British...
) |
| Havatzelet HaSharon Havazzelet HaSharon is a moshav in central Israel. Located in the Sharon plain near Natanya, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hefer Valley Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 280....
|
27 |
מחלף חבצלת
(Havatzelet Interchange) |
|
Named after location |
(Road 5710) |
| Beit Yanai Beit Yanai is a moshav in central Israel. Located in the Sharon plain on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea around 6 kilometres north of Netanya, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hefer Valley Regional Council...
|
30 |
מחלף ינאי
(Yanai Interchange) |
|
Named after location |
(Road 5720) |
| Hadera Hadera is a city located in the Haifa District of Israel approximately from the major cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa. The city is located along of the Israeli Mediterranean Coastal Plain...
|
33 |
|
|
|
(Highway 61) |
| 38 |
מחלף אולגה
(Olga Interchange) |
|
Named after location
(Giv'at Olga quarter of Hadera) |
Aaron Aaronsohn Aaron Aaronsohn was a Jewish agronomist, botanist, and Zionist activist. Aaronsohn was the discoverer of wild emmer , believed to be "the mother of wheat."-Biography:...
st. |
| Caesarea Caesarea is a town in Israel located mid-way between Tel Aviv and Haifa , on the Israeli Mediterranean coast near the city of Hadera. The town was built by Herod the Great about 25-13 BCE as the port city of Caesarea Maritima. Modern Caesarea as of December 2007 has a population of 4,500 people...
|
41 |
מחלף קיסריה
(Caesarea Interchange) |
|
Named after location |
(Highway 65Highway 65 is a major highway in northern Israel. It connects Hadera with the Galilee.This road is the shortest and simplest way to connect these two major regions. Historically, people traveled on or near this route for thousands of years from the coastal plain to reach the Galilee, and beyond...
) |
| Or Akiva |
46 |
מחלף אור עקיבא
(Or Akiva Interchange) |
|
Named after location |
(Road 6511) |
Zikhron Ya'aqovZikhron Ya'akov is a town in Israel, south of Haifa, and part of the Haifa District. It is located at the southern end of the Carmel mountain range overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, near the coastal highway...
|
53 |
מחלף זכרון יעקב
(Zikhron Ya'aqov Interchange) |
|
Named after location |
(Highway 70Highway 70 is a highway in the coastal plain and Western Galilee in northern Israel. It connects the region of Zikhron Ya'akov to the Lower Galilee and to Kiryat Ata and Shlomi near Israel's border with Lebanon.-Description of the route:...
) |
| Atlit |
68 |
מחלף עתלית
(Atlit Interchange) |
|
Named after location |
 
(Route 721/Road 7110) |
HaifaHaifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
|
77 |
מחלף חיפה דרום
(Haifa Darom Interchange) |
|
Haifa South |
(Highway 4Highway 4 is an Israeli highway that runs along Israel's entire coastal plain of the Mediterranean Sea, its route in the north runs from the Rosh HaNikra border crossing with Lebanon until the Erez Border Crossing with the Gaza Strip...
) /
Carmel TunnelsThe Carmel Tunnels are a set of road tunnels in and around Haifa, Israel. The tunnels' purpose is to reduce road congestion in the Haifa area and to provide an alternate route of reaching the eastern and central parts of the city, Haifa Bay and the Krayot area to and from Israel's central coastal...
|