Israel Highway 6

Highway 6 is the first Israeli Build-Operate-Transfer road constructed, carried out mainly by the private sector in return for a concession to collect tolls on the highway for a given number of years. It is also one of the largest infrastructure projects undertaken in Israel.

Highway 6
כביש 6
Trans Israel Highway Hebrew: כביש חוצה ישראל, romanized: Kvish Ḥotze Yisra'el Yitzhak Rabin Highway Hebrew: כביש יצחק רבין, romanized: Kvish Yitzḥak Rabin
Highway near Horshim Interchange
Route information
Length	204 km (127 mi)
Major junctions
South end	Shoket Interchange
Major intersections	Sorek Interchange Nesharim Interchange Ben Shemen Interchange Kessem Interchange Iron Interchange
North end	Somekh Interchange
Location
Country	Israel
Major cities	Beersheba, Kiryat Gat, Ramla, Petah Tikva, Rosh HaAyin, Pardes Hanna-Karkur, Hadera, Yokneam Illit, Shefa-Amr
Highway system
Roads in Israel Highways
← Highway 5 → Highway 7

 

The highway is officially dedicated the Yitzhak Rabin Highway (Hebrew: כביש יצחק רבין, Kvish Yitzḥak Rabin), though this name is not commonly used. It began operating in 2002 and continues to be lengthened as construction proceeds on newer sections. The southern terminus is at Shoket Interchange, opened in November 2016. The northern terminus is the Tel Kashish Interchange, opened on November 14, 2018, where the highway now merges into Highway 70 heading northwest. Another northern extension to Somech Interchange opened in 2019.

The highway aims to provide an efficient north–south transportation corridor in Israel while allowing drivers to bypass the traffic-congested Tel Aviv region in the country's center. Thus, it is the easternmost major highway in Israel, in some places located almost right on the Green Line. Currently, it is 204 km long, all of which is a controlled-access highway. This figure will grow in the next few years as additional segments are extended northward and southward from the existing section of the road. As of 2013^[update], some parts were under construction while others were undergoing statutory approvals and permitting processes.

 

Highway 6 uses a system of cameras and transponders to toll vehicles automatically. The lack of toll booths allows it to operate as a normal freeway with interchanges. A radio antenna detects when a vehicle with a transponder has entered and exited the highway, calculating the toll rate. An automatic license plate recognition system is used for vehicles without a transponder. Monthly statements are mailed to users. Highway 6 is based on the technology of the Highway 407 in Ontario, Canada developed by Raytheon.

The pricing scheme is based on the number of segments a driver passes in a trip. Each segment is the road span between two interchanges. As of April 2018^[update], the pricing for up to 3 segments was 19.78 NIS, 23.83 NIS for four segments, and 27.88 NIS for five or more segments. An additional fee is paid when driving through the "northern" segment, the cost of which is an additional 5.74 NIS. Pricing for motorcycles and heavy vehicles such as trucks is different.

The price above is discounted for drivers who register with Highway 6's operator and install the in-vehicle transponder unit (called a "Passkal," lit. "easy-pass") to record their highway usage. When a vehicle does not have a transponder, its license plate is scanned, and the vehicle is identified. Drivers who pre-register their license plate with the operator and establish a direct billing relationship also receive a discounted rate (though they pay more than those who have installed a "Passkal"). The bill is sent to the vehicle's owner if the license plate is not in Highway 6's database, according to the car registration with the Israeli Ministry of Transportation. Such a vehicle pays the highest rate.^{[citation needed]}

The licensed road operator, Derech Eretz, operates a fleet of service vehicles that patrol the entire highway and assist drivers in need. Since it is technically a private road, the road operator must pay the Israel police for traffic enforcement.

The tolled sections north of Yokneam are operated by a separate franchisee called "6 – Northern Crossing." Registration and billing for these sections are handled separately by them, and tolling is performed using automatic license plate recognition only (no tolling by transponder).

All the existing (and planned) segments of Highway 6 south of the Soreq interchange are free of charge in both directions, as is the segment between Ben Shemen and Daniyyel interchanges, where Highway 6 runs concurrently with Highway 1. The northern section between Highway 77 and Highway 75 in the western Jezreel Valley is also free (in part of the section where Highway 6 runs concurrently with Highway 70).

In March 2006, Derech Eretz reported a profit of 89 million NIS for 2005, an increase of 56% from 2004, on income of 779 million NIS, an increase of 137% from 2004.

At the end of 2005:

• about 500,000 registered subscribers (one subscriber can own multiple vehicles),
• 1.36 million individual users (an increase from 1.1 million users),
• 21 million trips,
• 80% of trips are by subscribers,
• Bill collection success rate was 97%.

 

The highway's count starts at 30km since it includes the planned southern extensions.

District	Location	km	mi	Name	Destinations	Notes
Southern	Camp Ariel Sharon	0	0.0	צומת הנגב (HaNegev Junction)	Highway 40   Route 224	Named after the Negev Desert
	Nevatim	19	12	מחלף נבטים (Nevatim Interchange)	Highway 25
	Tel Shoket	30	19	מחלף שוקת (Shoket Interchange)	Highway 31   Highway 60
	Lehavim	40	25	מחלף להבים (Lehavim Interchange)	Route 310
	Rahat	43.5	27.0	מחלף רהט (Rahat Interchange)	Highway 40	Southern end of concurrency with   Highway 40
	Dvir	46	29	מחלף דבירה (Devira Interchange)	Route 325
	Beit Kama	55.5	34.5	מחלף קמה (Kama Interchange)	Route 293
		66	41	מחלף מאחז (Ma'ahaz Interchange)	Highway 40 (southbound)	Northern end of concurrency with   Highway 40
	Kiryat Gat	76	47	מחלף קרית גת (Kiryat Gat Interchange)	Highway 35
Central	Yad Binyamin	100	62	מחלף שורק (Sorek Interchange)	Highway 3   Highway 7 (westbound)	Named after nearby Brook of Sorek
	Hulda	106	66	מחלף חולדה (Hulda Interchange)	Route 411
	Na'an	111	69	Petrol and rest area	Both Directions
	Ramla	114	71	מחלף נשרים (Nesharim Interchange)	Route 431   Highway 44   Route 424	Named after nearby Nesher Cement Factory
	Kfar Daniel	118	73	מחלף דניאל (Daniel Interchange)	Highway 1 (westbound)
	Ben Shemen	122	76	מחלף בן שמן (Ben Shemen Interchange)	Highway 1 (eastbound)   Route 443   Route 444
	Tel Hadid	123	76	Tunnels (4 lanes, 450 metres)
		123	76	Bridge (2 lanes, 300 metres)
	Beit Nehemiah	124	77	Bridge (2 lanes, 170 metres)
	Giv'at Ko'ah	133	83	מחלף גבעת כ"ח (Giv'at Ko'ah Interchange)	Route 444   Route 461
	Nahshonim	137	85	מחלף נחשונים (Nahshonim Interchange)	Route 471
	Rosh HaAyin	142	88	מחלף קסם (Kessem Interchange)	Highway 5   Route 444	Named after nearby Kafr Qasim
	Horshim	145	90	מחלף חורשים (Horshim Interchange)	Route 531 (westbound)   Road 5233
	Eyal	153	95	מחלף אייל (Eyal Interchange)	Route 551
	Nitzanei Oz	166	103	מחלף ניצני עוז (Nitzanei Oz Interchange)	Highway 57 (westbound)
Haifa	Lehavot Haviva	174	108	Petrol and rest area	Both Directions
	Baqa al-Gharbiyye	177	110	מחלף באקה (Baqa Interchange)	Highway 9
	Barkai	186	116	מחלף עירון (Iron Interchange)	Highway 65	Named after nearby Iron Stream
	Giv'at Nili	194.5	120.9	Tunnels (2 lanes, 350 metres)
Northern	Elyakim	200	120	מחלף עין תות (Ein Tut Interchange)	Highway 67	Named after nearby Nahal Tut
	Elyakim	202.5	125.8	מחלף אליקים (Elaykim Interchange)	Route 672
	Yokneam Illit	206	128	מחלף יקנעם (Yokne'am Interchange)	Route 722
		206.5	128.3	Tunnels (4 lanes, 1,750 metres)
Haifa	Kiryat Tiv'on	209	130	מחלף תל קשיש (Tel Qashish Interchange)	Highway 66   Highway 77
	Sha'ar HaAmakim	216.5	134.5	מחלף שער העמקים (Sha'ar HaAmakim Interchange)	Highway 75
	Rekhasim	219.5	136.4	Tunnels (4 lanes, 2,000 metres)
Northern	Ibtin	220.5	137.0	Tunnels (4 lanes, 400 metres)
Haifa	Khawaled	222	138	מחלף גבעות אלונים (Givot Alonim Interchange)	Highway 70 (westbound)
	Kiryat Ata	227	141	מחלף סומך (Somech Interchange)	Highway 79   Highway 70 (eastbound)
Northern	Shfar'am	228	142	מחלף אבליים (Avlayim Interchange)	Route 781   Highway 70
	Kafr Yasif Ahihud	240	150	מחלף יאסיף-אחיהוד (Yasif-Ahihud Interchange)	Highway 85   Highway 70
	Kabri	252	157	מחלף כברי (Yasif-Ahihud Interchange)	Highway 89
	Shlomi	260	160	מחלף שלומי (Shlomi Interchange)	Route 899
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Proposed