Shapir Wins $2 Billion Contract to Extend Israel's Highway 6 to Northern Region

The inter-ministerial tender committee has selected Shapir Civil and Marine Engineering to finance, construct, operate, and maintain the extension of Highway 6 from the Somkh interchange to Beit HaEmek. The project is valued at approximately 2 billion shekels and involves building about 22 kilometers of a dual carriageway with three lanes in each direction, along with three new interchanges at Avlayim, Mekhar, and Beit HaEmek. Construction is expected to begin in 2027, with the highway opening to the public in 2030.

The competitive tender process included six Israeli and international consortiums. As part of the government's policy to strengthen northern Israel, frequent users of the new highway sections will be eligible for a 40% toll discount under specified conditions. According to the Finance and Transportation Ministries and the Cross-Israel Highway Company, the project aims to improve connectivity between the Krayot area and Nahariya by providing an additional fast transportation route, reducing congestion on Highways 4, 70, and 22, shortening travel times, and enhancing accessibility between northern communities and central Israel.

Officials highlighted the project's broader benefits. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich described the extension as a major development for northern residents and all Israelis, emphasizing that advanced transportation infrastructure connects peripheral areas to the center, opening opportunities for employment, growth, and development. Transportation Minister Merav Regev called the extension a strategic milestone for the Galilee region and part of a vision to connect Israel from Kiryat Shmona to Eilat, noting it will reduce travel times, ease traffic, enhance transportation security, and serve as a significant economic growth engine for the north.