Early Morning Heavy Vehicle Traffic on Highway 6 to Receive 50% Discount

From April 1, 2025, the toll on Highway 6 will be reduced by 50% for heavy vehicles (weighing over 4 tons) between the hours of 03:00-05:30 in the morning. This is part of the expansion project of the central section of Highway 6, currently being carried out by the Ministry of Transportation and Road Safety, through the Cross Israel company.

To receive the discount, the vehicle must pass the first toll gate when entering the highway between the hours of 03:00-05:30. The incentive is designed to encourage haulage companies and drivers of heavy vehicles over 4 tons to travel at times when the road is relatively empty, thus reducing traffic congestion on Highway 6 during peak hours.

The discount for heavy vehicles in the early hours is part of the mega-project to expand the central section of Highway 6, promoted by the Ministry of Transportation and Road Safety and the General Accounting Department in the Ministry of Finance, through the Cross Israel company. The project includes adding a driving lane in each direction, between the Kesem interchange and the Ein Tut interchange, a total length of 60 kilometers.

As part of the work, a new interchange will be built, the Beit Nehemia interchange, the road lighting will be upgraded, the drainage system will be arranged, and a landscape rehabilitation will be carried out. The project cost is estimated at about 4 billion shekels. The project is being carried out in a BOT format, and the work is expected to be completed during 2028.

The decision to reduce the toll was made after thorough checks of the traffic volume on the road, which showed that among the road users in the morning hours there is a high proportion of heavy vehicles, which contribute to traffic congestion. The purpose of the move is to encourage truck owners and drivers to start their workday earlier, before rush hours, and thus alleviate traffic congestion.

Highway 6 is the main transportation artery in the State of Israel, and serves about 260,000 vehicles per day. The expansion of Highway 6 is expected to bring about a significant reduction in traffic congestion and to encourage the use of public transportation and carpooling in private vehicles. The road expansion is also expected to bring efficiency and save expensive travel time, and will allow for meeting the high demands along the road.

Gabi Ben-Harush, Chairman of the Drivers' Council: 'The congestion on Israel's roads is getting worse day by day, drivers burn 4-5 hours a day in traffic jams on the way to and from work. Reducing the toll on Highway 6 for heavy vehicles in the early morning hours is a blessed idea, but why not implement it throughout the night and thus encourage truck drivers to take advantage of the infrastructure at night?

In addition, why not implement the idea on the rest of the country's roads? When talking about the 'Good Night' project, I suggested compensating truck drivers, the ports work 24 hours and the most logical solution for those trucks is to leave at 4:00 - 3:00 in the morning, load cargo and drive to the ports because the ports work in any case in three shifts and thus clear the roads. It had a budget of 6 million shekels, but it started in a crooked way because the pilot was only carried out at the Shipyards Port and not at all ports. If they implement 'Good Night' at all ports of Israel, not only will Highway 6 be cleared of heavy vehicles during the day, but also the rest of the country's roads. Isn't most of the supply of goods carried out through the country's main axes, so if a driver who travels at 5:30 - 3:00 in the morning receives a cash compensation, it will help reduce congestion during peak hours.'

Transportation Minister Miri Regev: 'Highway 6 is one of the important transportation arteries in Israel and a central and vital longitudinal axis connecting the center and the northern and southern periphery. Its expansion will prevent traffic congestion, which prevents the road from operating optimally, and will allow the driving public to travel in all sections of the road quickly and continuously. From the checks we conducted, it turns out that the heavy vehicle is one of the causes of traffic congestion on the road during peak hours, we promoted the reduction of the toll in order to encourage the diversion of part of the traffic volume to hours when the demand is low.'

CEO of Cross Israel, Dany Schnebeck: 'The giant project to expand Highway 6, which is currently under construction, is a real good news for the residents of Israel. The reduction of the toll for heavy vehicles in the early morning hours is a complementary step to the road expansion, aimed at streamlining traffic flow and reducing traffic congestion on the road during peak hours. The project will enable a response to the high demands along the main transportation artery and will shorten travel times.'