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Highway 44 (Israel)

Coordinates: 31°53′13″N 34°53′27″E / 31.88694°N 34.89083°E / 31.88694; 34.89083
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Highway 44
כביש 44
Route information
Length41 km (25 mi)
Major junctions
Northwest endHolon Interchange
Major intersections
  • HaShiv'a Interchange
  • Beit Dagan Junction Junction
  • Ramla North Junction
  • Ma'asiyahu Junction Junction
  • Ramlod Interchange
  • Nesharim Interchange
  • Nahshon Junction
Southeast endShimshon Junction
Location
CountryIsrael
Major citiesTel Aviv-Yafo, Holon, Rishon LeZion, Ramla, Lod, to Beit Shemesh
Highway system
Highway 42 Highway 45
Bus stops on Highway 44 (Israel) near Holon Interchange. Designed by Moti Bodek

Highway 44 is an arterial road in central Israel. It connects Tel Aviv-Yafo and Holon to Ramla, Lod and the Shefela. It is numbered as a north–south road and follows a north-west to south-east path.

Route description

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Highway 44 begins in the coastal plain at the south-eastern edge of Tel Aviv at Holon Interchange with the Ayalon Highway. It travels south-easterly, passing Mikve Yisrael, Holon's industrial zones, and Azor. It then crosses Highway 4 at HaShiv'a Interchange. This section is named HaShiv'a Road in memory of seven guards killed in 1948. Southeast of HaShiv'a Interchange the road crosses Beit Dagan Junction with Route 412, which connects it with Rishon Letzion and Yehud. The road then passes the Volkani Institute, the Tzrifin Military base, Assaf HaRofeh Medical Center and various industrial parks.

As Highway 44 enters the municipality of Ramla, it is briefly named Herzl Boulevard. Historically, the road continued straight through beautiful downtown Ramla. Since the mid-1990s, the road makes a left turn at Ramla North Junction onto HaHashmoa'im Street, bypassing Ramla along its northern edge. Just east of Ramla, the road passes Ramlod Interchange with Highway 40 and rejoins the original route, continuing past the Nesher Industrial Zone and the Nesher Cement Factory, one of the most impressive landmarks in the area.

Historically, just past Nesher, the road connected at Gezer Junction with Route 424 to the Gezer Regional Council. That junction was moved 1 km. further south to accommodate Nesharim Interchange with Highway 6 and Route 431. The road then continues past several agricultural communities until Nachshon Junction. Until this point, the road has travelled with almost no changes in elevation, averaging 75 meters above sea level. After Nachshon Junction, it begins a slow ascent into the foothills of the Judean Mountains, passing several more agricultural communities and national forests. The road finally ends at Shimshon Junction with Highway 38.

History

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For centuries prior, while Jaffa and its seaport served as the gateway into Palestine, the section of Highway 44 between Jaffa and Ramla formed part of the historic highway connecting Jaffa to Jerusalem and Bethlehem. The historic highway then followed modern highway 424 to Latrun, and continued to Jerusalem along the route of modern Highway 1.

After the establishment of the State, this road operated for many years as one of the main routes connecting the coastal plain with Jerusalem via Highway 38 and Sha'ar HaGai (Bab al-Wad). In 1948, the Latrun section of the old road to Jerusalem (Highway 1) was taken over by Jordan. Traffic between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem was diverted to a new route called "Kvish HaGvura" (Road of Valor)[1] of which Highway 44 served as the connection between Nachshon Junction and Shimshon Junction with Highway 38 leading to Sha'ar HaGai.

Future

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The Israel Ministry of Transport has announced a grade separation of Highway 44 with the Lod-Na'an Railway line at HaHashmonain Street adjacent to Ramla North Junction. The road will be raised to pass over the rail line. The estimated completion date is 2014 and the cost will be 160M Shekels.[2]

Junctions and Interchanges

[edit]
Km Name Type Meaning Location Intersecting routes
0 מחלף חולון
(Holon Interchange)

named after biblical location[3]
(little) sand
Tel Aviv-Yafo,
Holon
from Derech Ben-Zvi,
Highway 20
Levi Eshkol Blvd
Derech HaShiv'a
2.4 Holon,
Azor
HaMakhtesh St.
2.9 צומת אזור
(Azor Junction)
Azor Herzl St.
3.3 Holon HaMelakha St.
3.7 Azor Kaplan St.
4.8 מחלף השבעה
(HaShiv'a Interchange)

The Seven Holon,
Azor,
Mishmar HaShiv'a
Highway 4
5.4 westbound only Mishmar HaShiv'a Tzvi Zeira St.
6.1 צומת בית דגן
(Beit Dagan Junction)
named after ancient location
House of Dagon
Rishon LeZion
Beit Dagan
Route 412
9 צומת כפר חב"ד
(Kfar Chabad Junction)
Chabad Village Kfar Habad Road 4402
9.7 צומת ראשון מזרח
(Rishon Mizrah Junction)
Rishon East Rishon LeZion Derech Chaim Herzog
10.4 צומת צריפין
(Tzrifin Junction)
named after former location Tzrifin Military Base,
Assaf HaRofeh
Medical Center
,
Camp Yadin
entrance roads
11.1 Tzrifin
Industrial Park,
Sochnut Warehouses
local road
11.7 New Wholesale Market,
Kiryat Shlomo
Industrial Park,
Nir Tzvi
Industrial Park
local roads
12.7 צומת ניר צבי
(Nir Tzvi Junction)
Zvi's Meadow Be'er Ya'akov,
Nir Tzvi
Arava St.,
Road 4313
14.1 Railway Crossing
2 tracks
Ramla
Herzl Boulevard
14.5 צומת רמלה צפון
(Ramla North Junction)
Ramla North Ramla Herzl Blvd.
HaHashmona'im Street
14.9 Railway Crossing
2 tracks
Ramla
15 Ramla
Lod
HaHasmal St.
to Yoseftal St.
15.4 north-westbound only Ramla
Lod
Shmuel Tamir St.
16.4 צומת מעשיהו
(Ma'asiyahu Junction)
also called
צומת תעבורה
(Ta'avura Junction)
name for nearby Prison

Transport
Ramla
Lod
Route 434
(Tel-Hai St.)
17.2 מחלף רמלוד
(Ramlod Interchange)

combination of
Ramla and Lod
Ramla
Lod
Highway 40
17.8 south-eastbound only Ramla (east),
al Mahta
Herzl Blvd.
18.1 Nesher
Industrial Zone
Har Atzmon St.
18.7 צומת נשר
(Nesher Junction)
Eagle,
named after nearby
Nesher Cement Factory & ult.
Rambam, the great Eagle
Nesher
Cement Factory
19 מחלף נשרים
(Nesharim Interchange)

Eagles Ramla,
Lod,
Yad Rambam
Highway 6
Route 431
20 צומת גזר
(Gezer Junction)
Carrot Gezer Regional Council Route 424
20.4 exit from
Highway 6
northbound
22.8 צומת בית אוזיאל
(Beit Uziel Junction)
House of Uziel Beit Uziel local road
24.3 צומת פתחיה
(Petahya Junction)
Entrance of God Petahya,
Pedaya
Road 4243
27.4 צומת כרמי יוסף
(Karmei Yosef Junction)
Yosef's Vineyards Karmei Yosef Road 4243
30.4 צומת נחשון
(Nahshon Junction)
Pioneer (literary Hebrew)
named after
Operation Nachshon
Mishmar David,
Tal Shahar,
Bekoa
Highway 3
Derech HaGvura
32 צומת צלפון
(Tzelafon Junction)
named after ancient location
possibly after Zelelponith
ult. Shade come upon me
Tzelafon
Gizo
HaZayit St.
33.2 צומת הראל
(Har'el Junction)
named after Harel Brigade
ult. Mountain of God
Har'el Road 4243
34.4 צומת כפר אוריה
(Kfar Uria Junction)
ult. remembrance of
biblical story of
Samson's encounter with
the lion at Timnah
[4]
Kfar Uria Road 4243
36.9 צומת תרום
(Tarum Junction)
Exalted Tarum Road 4243
37.1 צומת תעוז
(Ta'oz Junction)
Stronghold Ta'oz Road 4243
41.1 צומת שמשון
(Shimshon Junction)
Named after
biblical character
Samson
Eshtaol,
Beit Shemesh
Highway 38

References

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  1. ^ "Inauguration ceremony of Kvish HaGevurah". The Meitar Collection. Retrieved 2011-12-07. switch to Hebrew for identification as 44
  2. ^ "Grade Separation - North entrance to Ramla". Ministry of Transport, National Infrastructure & Road Safety. Retrieved 2012-12-16.(in Hebrew)
  3. ^ Joshua 21:15
  4. ^ Judges 14:5

See also

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31°53′13″N 34°53′27″E / 31.88694°N 34.89083°E / 31.88694; 34.89083