Cross-Israel

With a new and lefter government being formed in Israel, the future of the H6 Cross-Israel highway project is an open question. The concession to operate this ambitious automated toll road was granted to a consortium led by Canadian Highways in the spring of 1998 and it had been hoped the financial closing would be done within months and construction begun the same year. But the consortium has been rocked by quarrels and problems, and there has been no financial close, and hence no work on the road. There are strong anti-road sentiments on the Israeli left so the project may never break ground under the present concession. If however the new government decides to continue with the project – a north south spinal motorway running parallel to the coast – it may be looking for new partners able to deliver on a deal.

The new Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak has at least shown an awareness of roads with his novel proposal that the Palestinians be given a corridor between the West Bank and Gaza with a 50km (30mi) long elevated highway under Palestinian jurisdiction. Quite a bridge!