Covering Begin Road, Jerusalem

The Jerusalem Municipality, through the Jerusalem Development Authority (JDA), commissioned

from our office a pioneering plan for covering a section of Menachem Begin Road – Jerusalem’s

main traffic artery.

The plan proposes a physical connection between Beit HaKerem neighborhood and the government

district in Jerusalem, which are currently separated from each other by Begin Road. The connection

will be made by creating a 1600-meter cover over the road, between Bait interchange and the

“Chords” Bridge. The new land area that will be created by the covering will be used primarily as an

open and vegetated public space that will allow pedestrian passage between the two neighborhoods,

as well as walking along its length. On the sides of the covered sections, the slopes along the road

(that are currently unutilized) will be developed for a diverse range of purposes: residential,

commercial, office space, sheltered housing, and areas for public buildings, as a continuation of the

municipal roads on both sides of Begin Road.

The plan deals with questions that have yet to be faced in Israel, such as how to create and optimally

utilize unused land by covering a road. Although the land for construction is located mainly on both

sides of the park above the road, the covering enables full utilization of the overall space due to

improved conditions resulting from the road covering, such as the elimination of traffic noise and the

lowering of air pollution levels.

The plan proposes a new elevated road system that will serve the new developments and will

connect to the urban road network in the north and south edges of the plan, as well as to the

neighborhoods of Beit HaKerem and Ramat Beit HaKerem. In addition, the project adds a 50 dunam

public park, creating a continuity of open areas and paths between Emek Refaim in the south, and

Emek Arazim in the north. The park connects to a national park in the south, by way of the sports

area of Malcha, the Deer Valley, the Jerusalem Botanical Garden, and the city neighborhoods up to

the city’s entrance.

Along the covering, 800 housing units and 20,000 square meters of offices, schools, retail and a hotel

will be built. The park also connects the neighborhoods on the western side – between Ramat Beit

HaKerem and Beit HaKerem, and on the eastern side – between the Hebrew University and the

government district. The area of the plan is 213 dunams and creates 1830 housing units, 250 units of

sheltered housing, 14,000 square meters of retail areas, 67,000 square meters of educational

institutions, and 36,000 square meters of office space. The area of the covering is 70 dunams.

The plan to cover Begin Road is a breakthrough in the concept of urbanism which thus far views

a city as a single level of surface for building. The road covering presents a new understanding

of a city in three dimensions – building and using a city in layers. This is a continuation of the first

project that we built, covering the intersection of Begin Road with Bait Road. This covering

enabled the construction of 380 housing units, as well as retail, parking, and a public park

a project that has been completed and is currently operating successfully.

 

Client:          The Jerusalem Development Authority

Location:      Begin Road, Jerusalem

Area:            214 Square meters

Simulations:  Dagana visuals solutions