(April 20, 2023 / JNS) Israel’s Ministry of Transport and Road Safety announced this week that it has submitted an unprecedented 50 billion shekel (around $13.7 billion) budget proposal to the Ministry of Finance towards the development and improvement of transportation over the next five years.

Twenty billion shekels (about $5.5 billion) of that funding is included in the proposed 2023-2024 state budget.

The plan puts a special emphasis on improving infrastructure and road safety in communities within Israel’s geographic periphery, while also focusing on enhancing the transportation routes between the North and South with the center of the country, which houses the majority of the population and its main business centers.

At the same time, a document released by the Finance Ministry (signed by representatives of both ministries) and obtained by JNS details specific projects totaling more than 3.5 billion shekels (some $960 million) earmarked to improve transportation in Judea and Samaria.

The work in the area beyond the Green Line aims to enhance security in the face of constant terrorist threats, improve road safety and thus reduce traffic accidents— which are all too frequent on these routes—and alleviate the traffic jams.