Misplaced Pages

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27-458: Mitzpe Ramon was founded in 1951 as a camp for the workers building Highway 40 . The town's first permanent residents, several young families from Kibbutz Re'im and other parts of Israel began settling there in 1956. After five years, the town was home to 370 residents including 160 children, most of them veteran Israelis. There were also 180 housing units to absorb new immigrants They were joined by immigrants from North Africa, Romania, and India in

54-590: A flood that created a sinkhole . As of 2020, the section between Yotvata and Ketura (to the intersection with Highway 40 ) is undergoing widening. No date has been set yet for widening the long stretch of highway between Ketura and the Arava Junction. Route 90 has two permanent checkpoints: the Beit She'an - Bardala checkpoint in the north, near Sdei Trumot and the Bezeq Stream, and one in

81-481: A roundabout . It is then downgraded in size to two lanes until IAI Junction, where it becomes a four lane divided carriageway once again. The highway then continues through Petah Tikva and bypasses Hod HaSharon before terminating at an intersection with Highway 55 in Kfar Saba. The following junctions and interchanges are listed from south to north. Highway 90 (Israel%E2%80%93Palestine) Highway 90

108-581: A four-lane configuration with a physical barrier in the middle and rest stops every 45 kilometres. Initial announced funding was NIS125 million; the total project budget for all stages of widening is NIS2.3 billion (equivalent to over US$ 650 million in 2013 dollars). As of the fall of 2013, 40 km of the highway had been widened by the National Roads Company , from Eilat to Yotvata . On 9 November 2018, Route 90 collapsed above Kidron Stream, 10 km south to Kalya , near Ovnat , due to

135-533: A result of a shaky infrastructure that is not forgiving of drivers' mistakes. It is always easier to blame the driver and the human factor, but the Ministry of Transport and Road Safety is also responsible. The road was paved 50 years ago, and many years ago, it was necessary to improve the infrastructure and turn it from a red road to a safe road. A separation railing must be installed between the lanes to prevent head-on accidents as early as tomorrow morning to prevent

162-623: A right turn at Lido Junction . The section of Route 90 passing through the Arabah is named Arava Highway . When built, the Arabah section of the proposed Railway to Eilat will be located near the Arava Highway in many places along the route. The northernmost section of the highway, from Tiberias to Metula, is the oldest, having existed since the Ottoman period. Until the 1960s,

189-490: A series of separate roads existed where the highway is today. After the Six-Day War , a section in the northern Dead Sea area was completed, making these roads contiguous. In the early 1980s, the road was assigned the number 90. In October 2007, Israeli Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz announced that the 170 km section of Highway 90 between Arava Junction and Eilat would be renovated, widened and repaved in stages to

216-706: A state-of-the-art factory in Mitzpe Ramon in January 2000. Jerusalem Stone is exported globally. Mitzpe Ramon has six hotels and dozens of bed and breakfast establishments. In 2011, the Isrotel hotel chain opened a luxury hotel, the Beresheet Hotel, in Mitzpe Ramon. The Tourism Ministry allocated NIS 9.5 million for infrastructure development in Mitzpe Ramon, and the Ministry for the Development of

243-647: Is here that Route 90 intersects with Route 1 , making it a major international tourism artery for travellers between the Sea of Galilee, Jerusalem and the Dead Sea. There is no actual four-way intersection with Route 1. When travelling south along 90 from the Jordan Valley, the road intersects the eastern end of Route 1 at Beit HaArava Junction . Route 90 continues by turning left at the junction, then again turns south. A short distance later, Route 90 continues via

270-690: Is the longest Israeli road, at about 480 kilometres (300 mi), and stretches from Metula and the northern border with Lebanon , along the western side of the Sea of Galilee , through the Jordan Valley , along the Dead Sea 's western bank (making it the world's lowest road), through the Arava Valley, and until Eilat and the southern border with Egypt on the Red Sea . The central section of

297-504: The Ramon Crater , crosses it and then ascends 250 meters along "Ma'ale HaAtzmaut" to reach Mitzpe Ramon . From Mitzpe Ramon the highway continues past Ramon Air Force Base and Sde Boker . The section between Ketura and Sde Boker is a scenic route, and some drivers use this road when driving to Eilat because it provides more attractions and scenery, as opposed to highway 90 which is considered to be safer and faster. From Sde Boker

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324-546: The 1960s, and it became the southernmost of the Negev's development towns . Conditions in the early years were harsh, with limited food supplies and practically no modern-day amenities. Ice blocks and provisions were delivered once a week by a supply truck. There was a single school with one classroom for all ages. The homes of the first settlers were prefabricated asbestos barracks. Later, rows of small attached stone houses were built and after that, apartment buildings, beginning in

351-449: The Negev and Galilee financed the construction of a landing strip for light aircraft. In December 2013, a Las Vegas -style Casino was planned for the town. The previous mayor, Flora Shoshan, sister of former Israeli defense minister Amir Peretz and wife of the former mayor, Sami Shoshan, was voted out on October 23, 2013, and replaced by Roni Marom, in a landslide victory for Marom. The Mitzpe Ramon Jazz Club hosts musical ensembles on

378-616: The correct papers, at the Beit Ha'arava checkpoint leading to the Dead Sea . Route 90 is one of Israel's most dangerous highways. Between 2003 and 2018, there were over 2,250 road accidents on Route 90, in which 223 people were killed and over 6,450 people were hurt, 700 of them seriously. Oz Dror, spokesperson for Or Yarok, the Association for Safer Driving in Israel , said in 2018: "Route 90 continues to claim victims and take lives as

405-417: The crater, which make Mitzpe Ramon feel much colder than it really is. Precipitation is scarce, concentrated around the winter months, with an annual precipitation amount of roughly 70 millimetres (2.8 in). Snowfall occurs on average once in a couple of years. Night frost occurs almost every winter. The development of Mitzpe Ramon was adversely affected by the opening of Route 90 in the late 1960s. After

432-462: The early 1960s. On April 29, 1964, a Nord 2501D Noratlas (4X-FAD/044) of the IAF crashed into a mountain near Mitzpe Ramon, killing all nine occupants, including pilots Hagay Gilboa and Shlomo Tzlil. The crash is currently Israel's deadliest. In 1972, Mitzpe Ramon had a population of about 1,400 people living in 300 households. The town further grew after Ramon Airbase was completed in 1982. In 1988,

459-542: The highway continues past numerous Bedouin settlements and the Ramat Hovav industrial area. Between Nokdim Junction and Goral Junction the highway forms an eastern bypass of Be'er Sheva, also passing Omer and the Bedouin towns of Shaqib al-Salam and Tel as-Sabi . From Goral Junction the highway continues as a dual-carriageway four lane road, passing Lehavim , Rahat and Kiryat Gat . North of Kiryat Malakhi ,

486-453: The highway merges with Highway 3 for 4 km to Re'em Junction. This short section has six lanes (three in each direction). It then continues as a four lane road, passing through Gedera and past Tel Nof Air Force Base and Rehovot . Between Matzliah Junction and Gesher Lod Junction it forms an eastern bypass of Ramle and Lod . At El Al Junction the highway turns left towards Ben Gurion International Airport and immediately right at

513-462: The inauguration of this highway, traffic to and from Eilat bypassed Mitzpe Ramon almost entirely. However, growing interest in ecotourism , Jeep trekking (access to Nabatean ruins), mountain biking and hiking, stargazing and the upgrading of Route 40 , which is considered a more scenic route to Eilat, have improved the economy. Jerusalem Marble, one of a few major suppliers and overseas exporters of Jerusalem stone (established in 1923), inaugurated

540-450: The monotonous nature of the desert landscape around it and the lack of a physical barrier between the opposing lanes of traffic, makes the road particularly prone to traffic accidents, which often occur at high speeds – earning it the nickname "The Red Road." The section of Highway 90 passing through the Jordan Valley was dedicated as Derekh Gandi (Gandhi's Road) after the late Rehavam Zeevi , an Israeli Minister of Tourism who advocated

567-458: The next casualty. Road accidents are not fate but failure." On 6 January 2022, a traffic collision between a truck and minibus killed eight people and injured two others in the West Bank . The crash occurred at Petzal Junction. President of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas declared a day of mourning. Defence Minister of Israel Benny Gantz tweeted his condolences to the victims. On 7 January,

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594-610: The road traverses the Israeli-occupied West Bank . While it passes near the city of Jericho , it runs through Area C and does not enter areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority . The Arava Highway segment is the main link from the resort and port city of Eilat towards the country's centre and, at times, handles a heavy mix of local, tourist and commercial trucking traffic on the two-lane road (one lane in each direction). That, coupled with

621-644: The south just north of Ein Gedi. Palestinians living in the West Bank are not allowed to pass these checkpoints unless permits from the Israeli authorities are obtained. According to B'Tselem , at the Beit She'an-Bardala checkpoint, during certain agricultural seasons, Palestinian trucks transporting agricultural produce are allowed to cross twice a week. Palestinians are often stopped and turned back for not having

648-430: The south, serving as a main connection between central Israel and Be'er Sheva . The highway starts at an intersection with Highway 90 near Ketura , about 50 km north of Eilat as a two-lane undivided road. It then continues north, winding through the mountains of the southern Negev . This section includes the "Meishar", which is a completely straight and leveled 12 km stretch of road. The highway descends into

675-537: The town had a population of about 3,000, and it experienced more significant population growth when it absorbed Soviet immigrants during the 1990s post-Soviet aliyah . Ramon Crater , known as a makhtesh Ramon, is 38 km long, 6 km wide and 450 meters deep. Mitzpe Ramon's climate borders between hot desert climate and cold desert climate ( Köppen climate classification : BWh/BWk), characterized by hot, dry summers and cold winters. There are moderate to strong winds all year long, caused by its location above

702-562: The transfer of 3.3 million Palestinians from Israeli-occupied territories and was so right-wing that he barely remained within the outer perimeter of political acceptability, and was assassinated by Palestinians, who was nicknamed after Mahatma Gandhi . The section of Route 90 passing the Dead Sea is named Dead Sea Highway and is the lowest road in the world. It is along this stretch of road that Masada , Ein Gedi nature reserve, Ein Gedi Spa , Qumran Caves , and Ahava are located. It

729-461: The weekend. On weekdays, it operates as a music school. 'Me'ever', a hostel and event space, is in the artist quarter of Mitzpe Ramon. Highway 40 (Israel) Highway 40 ( Hebrew : כביש 40 ) is a north-south intercity road in Israel . At 302 km long, it is the second longest highway in Israel, after Highway 90 . The highway runs from Kfar Saba in the center of Israel to the Arabah in

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