Completed Projects

An advanced system of toll roads, built to improve the quality of life for residents of Haifa and the north, and to significantly reduce the time required to cross the city.  This is the first urban road system of its kind in Israel, combining a complex array of infrastructures using advanced technology, at an investment of about NIS 1.5 billion.

   

The project concessionaire is Carmelton, a partnership between Shikun & Binui and the Ashtrom Group.  Carmelton manages the Carmel Tunnels and supervises the operating company.

  

The operating company is HaCarmel Lanes, a sister company of Derech Eretz, which operates Highway 6.  HaCarmel Lanes is responsible for operating the toll collection system, managing traffic flow and maintenance, and also meeting drivers’ needs through its control and review center, customer service, safety and maintenance operations and fee collection.

  

The Carmel Tunnels were built to reduce the number of vehicles on Haifa’s other roads, easing the pressure on the city’s main arteries and thus improving residents’ quality of life.

   

There are three portals into and out of the Carmel Tunnels:

• The South Haifa Interchange
• The Krayot Interchange
• The Neveh Sha’anan Interchange (close to the Grand Canyon Mall) in the city center.

    

Safety

The Carmel Tunnels incorporate operating systems to maintain driver safety that meet the strictest international standards.

  

Preserving the environment

   

During construction of the tunnels, maximum attention was paid to preserving the environment and the quality of life of local residents.  A monitoring system was set up in accordance with Environmental Protection Ministry guidelines. The system employs leading professionals, including environmental consultants, acoustics experts and a variety of engineers.

  

 

 

The system tracks three main elements, 24/7:

• Noise
• Air pollution
• Particles in the air.

    

During construction, a special road was laid in Nahal Giborim that provided an alternative route for the hundreds of trucks taking part in the project. The trucks were thus kept off Haifa’s congested roads and avoided interfering with daily life in the city. 

    

The Carmel Tunnels in numbers

    

• Length of the route – 6 kilometers
• Length of the section from Haifa South to Neveh Sha’anan – 3,200 meters.
• Length of the section from the Neveh Sha’anan Interchange to the Krayot Interchange – 1,650 meters.
• Tunnel height – 6.5 meters.
• Tunnel width – 10 meters.
• The project included construction of 8 bridges.
• The monitoring system measures pollution and noise, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

      

  

Shikun & Binui won the tender to erect the desalination plant in Hadera within the boundaries of the Hadera power station. The winner of this BOT project was H2ID, a consortium of IDE Technologies and Shikun & Binui, which will finance, build and operate the plant.

   

The plant will have a production capacity of 100 million cubic meters per annum of high quality potable water and will operate using a modern reverse-osmosis technology widely used in desalination applications worldwide.

  

This is the first time such a major project is being financed by a consortium of foreign banks, to the tune of about $80 million.

  

Under the BOT agreement signed with the Israeli government, the Group will operate the plant as a private business, and will sell the water to the government at a predetermined price for a period of 25 years (which includes the construction period).  At the end of this period, the plant will become government property.  

   

   

The Trans-Israel Highway (Road 6) is the first BOT road building project in Israel, as well as being its longest highway and its first toll road.  At present, the road is 138 kilometers long, with 12 interchanges, two tunnels (500 meters) and 100 bridges. In the next few years it is expected to reach a length of 247 kilometers as additional sections are added.

   

This highway is a north-south traffic artery, enabling drivers to travel quickly and safely while avoiding the congested areas in the center of the country.

  

Construction of Road 6 required a high level of expertise in several areas, such as:  overall planning, detailed blueprints, paving, maintenance, financing, setting up and operating a smart electronic toll-collection system (one of the most advanced in the world), and handling a variety of environmental matters.

   

Shikun & Binui won the tender for this PPP project together with a local partner, and a Canadian company that constructed Canada’s first toll road.  This partnership, operating under the Derech Eretz company, began work on the project in 1999, and the central sections were opened to the public between 2002 and 2004.  In July 2009 the company completed a 17-kilometer section (Section 18) and thus brought Road 6 to its current length of 138km.

    

 

   

Preserving the environment was an important parameter in the planning and construction of Road 6, and the operating company adopted strict, advanced standards that took account of environmental aspects such as landscaping, the local communities, wildlife, pollution etc.

  

Considerable efforts were and are being made by the company to ensure that this project complies with the commitment of the Shikun & Binui Group to sustainable design and development.

   

These efforts include:

From the very first stages, complex environmental impact studies were performed, and experts in ecology and landscaping have been involved in all stages of design and operation.

The company has been meticulous about maintaining a direct, active and positive dialogue with environmental organizations that opposed the project from the beginning.

Some changes were made to the route as a direct result of environmental considerations, and all the roads, interchanges and buildings were planned according to strict environmental guidelines.

There are underpasses for wildlife so that the local animals can safely move from one side of the highway to the other.

A number of bicycle lanes, amounting to 250 kilometers, have been planned alongside Road 6.  Some of these sections are already in use along the northern and southern parts of the highway.

The company makes efforts to employ people from minority groups and from communities living near Road 6.

The company is involved in a number of successful social projects in several Arab communities near the highway :

• An environmental education project, in conjunction with the Ministry of Education and the Arab school in Taibe, concerning sustainable transportation. The purpose is to increase pupils’ awareness of wildlife, ecology, water, technology and transportation.
• Seasonal activities with Jewish and Arab pupils, involving the crops and vegetation located in the areas around the highway, such as harvesting olives, planting on school grounds and open areas, and more.

In June 2009 the company earned the prestigious Gold Rating Certificate of the Ma’ala Organization – Businesses for Social Responsibility, which is a branch of a growing network of corporate civic organizations around the world.