Derech-Eretz Highways (1997) Ltd.
Derech Eretz Highways (1997) Ltd. is the concessionaire for the Yitzhak Rabin Highway (Highway 6), also known as the Cross-Israel Highway. The 87-kilometer highway is the first toll road in Israel and one of very few fully electronic toll roads in the world. One of the largest infrastructure projects ever implemented in Israel, Highway 6 offers the country’s drivers a new transportation experience, which incorporates speed, safety, comfort and pleasure with no traffic jams and a legal speed of 110 kph.
BOT Concessionaire
Derech Eretz Highways (1997) Ltd. was established in 1997 and the following year was selected as the concessionaire to design, build and operate the central section of the Highway 6 toll road for 30 years. The company is owned by Africa Israel Investments (37.5%), one of Israel’s largest holding companies, Housing & Construction Holding Co. (37.5%), Israel’s largest construction group and Canadian Highways Infrastructure Corp. (CHIC) (25%), which built and operates Highway 407, Canada’s first electronic toll road. The company invested $1.3 billion in constructing the highway.
Operational Stages
In August 2002, the first 18-km. section of the highway was opened to vehicles, and by January 2004, the entire 87-km. road was operational including 10 interchanges, 94 bridges and two tunnels. Today, more than 80,000 vehicles travel along the highway each day, representing a 14% increase over the past year. Over 500,000 vehicles have a subscription for driving on Highway 6, while 1.5 million out of the 2.2 million vehicles on Israel’s roads have at some time used the highway.
Highway’s Advantages
Drivers traveling on the highway have discovered the advantages of a faster, safer road, which shortens distances and journey time and provides a pleasant driving experience – no traffic jams, no traffic lights and no unnecessary stops. With a permitted driving speed of 110 kph (68.75 mph), the route stretches from the Iron Interchange in the north to the Sorek Interchange in the south, and enables drivers traveling between Haifa, Hadera and Netanya to Jerusalem and Beer Sheva to avoid the congested Greater Tel Aviv area. The route also serves many other locations including Kfar Saba and Rosh Haayin, Petach Tikvah, Ben Gurion International Airport, Modi’in and much more, and enhances access between the periphery and the center of the country. Highway 6 has four service areas including gas stations, restaurants, rest rooms and leisure areas. The very existence of the highway has persuaded large factories to relocate away from the crowded and expensive center of the country to more peripheral locations near the highway’s interchanges.
Electronic Toll Road
Highway 6 is one of the world’s most advanced toll roads with state-of-the-art electronic toll collection. Instead of tollbooths, which slow down traffic, vehicles are identified by a computerized network including cameras to photograph license plates entering, journeying and exiting the highway, and the invoice is mailed to the vehicle’s owner, or subscribers' accounts are debitted. There are different toll rates for motorcycles, cars, buses and trucks with a minimum fee for traveling three interchanges and maximum fee for five interchanges.
Highest Environmental and Safety Standards
Design of the highway took into account high environmental and safety standards. More than $80 million was invested in environmental protection and minimizing noise and air pollution, including greenery on the highway slopes, acoustic walls, crossings for animals and preserving archeological sites. In addition, no expense was spared in providing the safest possible infrastructure, and with only five fatalities per billion driving kilometers per year, Highway 6 has one of the world’s best safety records. The highway’s operations center, near the Nachshonim Interchange, is manned 24/7 to locate malfunctions and hazards, and is in contact with the service cars that regularly patrol the highway.
Northern Extension
Recently, Derech Eretz was chosen as the concessionaire to build and operate the continuation of Highway 6 in the north, from the Iron Interchange to Eliyakim at a length of about 18 km. This additional stretch of highway will improve drivers' access to the north and the central region.
