Center suffers massive traffic jams

Two accidents on northbound and southbound lanes cause highway to close, lead to heavy traffic throughout central Israel

The Ayalon Freeway was closed on Thursday in both directions, after two trucks hit two separate bridges on the highway. The accidents led to huge traffic jams throughout central Israel and tens of thousands of frustrated drivers.

 

Shortly after 9 am, a truck carrying a crane hit a digital sign bridge near the Haganah Bridge and the Kibbutz Galuyot Interchange. As a result all traffic northbound has been stopped, causing heavy traffic.

 

Bridge hit by crane (Photo: Yaron Brener)

 

Fearing that the bridge might collapse, the police have also sealed all roads leading to the area, and instructed drivers to use alternative routes.

 

In the meantime, Ayalon Freeway emergency teams started working on disassembling the bridge, and the road is expected to reopen at 11:30 am.

 

A similar accident lead to the closing-down of the highway's southbound lanes, after a truck hit the Moses Bridge close to Hashalom Interchange and iron rods fell on the road and blocked it.

 

As of 11:20 am part of the northbound Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway was also closed to due traffic jams, and road 4 that connects Tel Aviv and Haifa was jammed in both directions in central Israel.

 

The Hashalom exit was also completely jammed.