Drivers and public transportation passengers across Israel face a week of widespread disruption beginning Thursday night, with major highway closures, reduced train services and diversions on dozens of bus routes. The heaviest impact is expected in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area and the Sharon region, though roadwork will also affect Jerusalem, Modi'in, Bnei Brak and other cities.
The most significant closure is on the Ayalon Highway, one of central Israel's busiest roads, where sections in both directions will shut from 11:30 p.m. Thursday until 4:00 p.m. Friday so the Israel Electric Corporation can replace power cables crossing Highway 20 and nearby railroad tracks. Northbound lanes will close between the Glilot East and Shiv'at HaKochavim interchanges near Herzliya, and southbound lanes between the HaMa'apilim and Glilot East interchanges, with several entrance ramps blocked.
A second round of Ayalon closures is set for Saturday at 11:00 p.m. through Sunday at 5:00 a.m. During the work, traffic will be diverted to Highways 2, 4 and 5, and drivers are urged to check navigation apps for alternative routes.
Train service between Tel Aviv and Herzliya will also be disrupted on Friday and again Saturday night because of electrical infrastructure work and additional safety work near Tel Baruch in northern Tel Aviv. Israel Railways said the changes begin at 12:01 a.m. Friday, and some passengers will be moved to free replacement shuttle buses.
In Tel Aviv, electrical work along Arlozorov Street between Weizmann Street and Namir Road begins Thursday at 10:00 p.m. and is expected to last about five days, closing the section to eastbound traffic and altering several bus routes and stops. Nighttime closures at La Guardia Junction on Sunday and Monday, and again on Tuesday and Wednesday, between 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. will affect bus routes including 299, 506, 632, 633, 111, 460, 462 and 500.
Elsewhere in the metropolitan area, Highway 461 between Savyon Junction and Avia Junction will close at night from Sunday through Tuesday for construction of the Tel Aviv Light Rail's Purple Line. In Bnei Brak, Kahaneman Street will close nightly from Sunday through Thursday as crews relocate infrastructure ahead of the M2 metro line. In Modi'in, part of Dam HaMaccabim Street will close around the clock from Sunday morning until Friday, November 13, affecting 18 Kavim bus routes.
In Jerusalem, the northbound Lifta Tunnel will close between midnight and 5:00 a.m. from November 9 to 11 for construction of a dedicated bus lane along Begin Road, with four bus routes diverted but no stops canceled. In Lod, work along Haim Moshe Shapira Street that began November 1 will continue through November 15, rerouting five bus lines and closing two stops.
Local events add to the disruptions. A nighttime race in Yavne will close Zvi Gov-Ari Road in both directions Thursday between 4:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., while a festival in Harish will shut Derech Eretz Boulevard from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. On Friday, a race in Nesher will close Bar Yehuda Road from 4:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., and several streets in Pardesiya will close between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.
In the south, Ashkelon and Sderot train stations will close Thursday and Friday, November 12 and 13, for infrastructure work in the Ashdod area. The Beersheba Center to Herzliya line will operate in two separate sections, Ashkelon to Binyamina trains will begin and end at Ashdod Station, and free replacement shuttles will be provided before regular service resumes Saturday night, November 14. Separate work in Ashdod from Sunday through Thursday will divert bus route 881 and temporarily close four stops.
Passengers are advised to check updated schedules through transportation operators' websites and navigation apps before traveling. Israel Railways can be reached at *5770, and the national public transportation information hotline at *4515. The Israel Police, the Ayalon Highways Company and security authorities are coordinating the work.
