Carmel Tunnel project , Haifa

[TeLaVivi]

http://www.nechasim.co.il/profile/images/_12.jpg

Originally conceived over 100 years ago by the Turkish during the rule of the Ottoman Empire, the Carmel Tunnel project is the second largest BOT (Build, operate, transfer) project ever undertaken in the Middle East. The project will serve as an important transportation link in and around Haifa, Israel. The Haifa area is one of Israel’s fastest growing regions and home to a significant portion of the Israel’s high technology industries. Current travel time through Haifa is 30 to 60 minutes. Anticipated travel time after completion of the Carmel Tunnel project is 7 to 10 minutes.

The overall project includes two tunnels, 5 conventional bridges, 6 segmental bridges and 11 kilometers of roads with corresponding civil improvements.

This project was first conceptualized in 1995 and the official tender request was made in 1997. The project's completion was scheduled to 2002 ( ;) yeh right ), The project was delayed several times by statutory problems and then by Israel Discount Bank's announcement that it was withdrawing its financing. In March this year the Tel Aviv District Court has issued an enforcement order for the agreement to the Bank and the Ministry Of Transportation announced that construction will start in April 2004 .
I don't know if anything happened since than (didn't see any new construction site near Haifa) but I'm optimistic :) .

Renderings renderings \/
http://www.gelhardt.com/samples/finley/Projects/CrmlTunl/CarTun2a.jpg
http://www.gelhardt.com/samples/finley/Projects/CrmlTunl/CarTun1b.jpg
http://www.shm.co.il/project_images/P01_2.jpg
http://www.shm.co.il/project_images/P01_1.jpg
http://www.shm.co.il/project_images/P01_3.jpg

[Azazel]

BOT= sucks ass.

Nice project, though, and cool renderings. They explain a lot of the works being done in the entrance areas.

[ZOHAR]

what's going with that?

[Kappa21]

looks nice.....

so how come these towers werent used before hand?

[Izhak]

Towers??? What towers?

[Kappa21]

i ment tunnels :jk:

[Izhak]

D'you think it's any clearer now?:)
How do you expect something never built to have been used?

[source26]

I hate this project it will ruin haifa.

[Izhak]

source26, are you serious???
What exactly part of Haifa and in what way can this project ruin???
It will divert a large portion of transit traffic from lower Haifa, thus alleviating the congestion and reducing the air pollution, it will allow anyone on his way to Krayot, Akko, Naharia etc. to save half an hour at least and a lot of fuel/money, too.

Sorry, but I think it takes a lunatic to object to the project.

[Corrupt Dictator]

Can anyone draw the whole thing on a map? Right now I have absolutely no idea where this project is to be.

[Kappa21]

I hate this project it will ruin haifa.


Haifa is already ruined with there aravim...and there power plants...

[source26]

here is where the tunnels will pass:

http://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%AA%D7%9E%D7%95%D7%A0%D7%94:CarmelTunnels.PNG

[Corrupt Dictator]

http://img55.imageshack.us/img55/1701/carmeltunnels8pj.png

Wow. That's a pretty big tunnel. :eek2:

[source26]

6.5 km of new highway roads of which 4.7 will be in tunnels..
yes its mad, probably one of the longest tunnels in the world if not the longest
under a mountain.

[Dean18]

i've heard about this kind of project a long time ago.. but everyone always said that it'll hurt the mountain or something? *confused*

[source26]

it will hurt the eyes when all the wadi of neve shaanan becomes one huge multilevel
highway (look in the render) also it will cause huge pollution on all the exits of the tunnels and probably also inside the tunnels..

anyway, lets see them dig it..

[Kappa21]

^^ they could have ventilators ;)

[livni]

starting in 2 months to dig : http://www.local.co.il/haifa/showItem.asp?articleId=2360

[Vygotsky]

how much cost it the project?

[TalB]

http://www.globes.co.il/serveen/
Harel Investments in talks on funding Haifa’s Carmel Tunnels

If Harel provides funding, it will have the option on a share in the ownership of the project.

Ron Stein and Gal Nissim 16 Oct 06 16:59

Harel Insurance Investments (TASE: HARL) is holding talks for the funding of the Carmel Tunnels project in Haifa, chairman Yair Hamburger said today. Sources inform ''Globes'' that the funding will amount to NIS 200-300 million. If it does provide funding, Harel will have the option on a share in the ownership of the project.

The project involves constructing two five-kilometer tunnels between the Krayot junction (Check Post junction) and the southern entrance of Haifa on the coastal highway. The total cost of the project is NIS 1 billion and the tunneling work is worth about $100 million. The work is due to take four years.The project is being financed by Israel Discount Bank (TASE: DSCT).

Hamburger made his comments today following the raising of $70 million by an Israeli infrastructure fund owned jointly Harel and STG, controlled by adv. Yehuda Raveh. The fund also intends to invest in infrastructure projects in Eastern Europe. Former Minister of Finance Avraham Shochat will serve as chairman, while Yaron Kestenbaum will become CEO. The fund’s investment committee will include Oil Refineries chairman and former Ministry of Finance director general Ohad Marani, Derech Eretz Highways CEO Ehud Savion, Amos Epstein, Jacob Edri and Rami Guzman. Most of the preliminary funding came from institutional investors, with the fund set to raise a further $130 million in coming days, mainly from foreign investors.

The fund will make equity and mezzanine investments in infrastructure projects. Kestenbaum said that the fund was currently looking at four or five possible investments in transport and energy in Israel. It will focus primarily on PFI, BOT, and BOO projects.

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on October 16, 2006

© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2006

[Bikes]

Amezing project...

[TalB]

http://globes-online.com/
Chinese Carmel tunnel workers: women bring bad luck

Women will not participate in a press tour of the site.

Orli Peleg-Mizrahi 20 Dec 07 11:59

Chinese construction workers on the Carmelton Carmel tunnels project in Haifa refuse to allow women journalists to accompany the press tour of the site being organized by Yefe Nof Transportation Infrastructure And Constructions Ltd. on the grounds that women would cause disaster. Yefe Nof's board, which scheduled the press tour for Sunday, has asked the women correspondents not to participate.

300 Chinese workers are digging the Carmel tunnels, working in three shifts round the clock. They are housed in temporary buildings on site. Yefe Nof also employs Chinese cooks, and built a special kitchen at their specifications.

Sources close to the project told "Globes" that the Chinese workers had made no official request for women not to enter the work site, but raised the issue during conversations with the company's management, which decided to respect the workers' wishes.

The sources added that Yefe Nof was doing everything it could to respect the workers' customs. This including the holding of a ceremony to ask nature's forgiveness before they began the digging. The ceremony included prayers, music, songs, and offerings of fruits and vegetable to Mount Carmel. At the conclusion of the ceremony, the workers set off fireworks, before setting out to work.

Carmelton spokesman Avi Shmul said in response, "The Chinese are our guests, which is why we respect their faith. The construction team includes no women, so the issue never came up on a day-to-day basis."

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on December 20, 2007

© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2007

[Barak]

New pictures from the construction sites:

http://www.carmelton.co.il/images/gallery/carmelton043.jpg
http://www.carmelton.co.il/images/gallery/carmelton042.jpg
http://www.carmelton.co.il/images/gallery/carmelton044.jpg
http://www.carmelton.co.il/images/gallery/carmelton048.jpg
http://www.carmelton.co.il/images/gallery/carmelton047.jpg
http://www.carmelton.co.il/images/gallery/carmelton030.jpg
http://www.carmelton.co.il/images/gallery/carmelton029.jpg

[TheCat]

How are the tunnels being dug? Looks like they use traditional blasting techniques, no TBMs.

[Kalamai]

How are the tunnels being dug? Looks like they use traditional blasting techniques, no TBMs.
They use TBM of the CW type.
A few days ago the boring stage of the project was finished, about a year ahead of the original schedule.

http://www.carmelton.co.il/images/gallery/carmelton068.jpg

More pictures here:
http://www.carmelton.co.il/Gallery.asp