Tel Aviv-Jaffa’s Local Committee for Planning and Building has given the go-ahead to a plan to transform the city’s jampacked Ayalon Highway into an urban park.
The 60-acre park will be built on the Ayalon Highway, which runs through the centre of the city, at a cost $524m, (estimated NIS 2 billion) would create a new public space for recreation while enabling traffic to continue flowing below.
According to the plan, the area slated for roofing stretches from the Central Railway Station and Arvei Nahal St. to just after the Hashalom Interchange and Yehudit Blvd. The Ayalon Highway is infamous for its heavy air pollution and noise and effectively slices the city in two. It is one of the country’s most heavily traveled roads, with about 750,000 vehicles using it daily. The Ayalon Roofing Project will include a sports centre, pedestrian and cycle paths and cafes.
Work on the project is expected to begin in three to five years but is dependent on planning approval.
The approved plan is only a plan in principle aimed at establishing that the area is zoned for planning. At a later stage, both the Local and District Planning and Building Commissions will also have to approve detailed plans.
