After two years of work and concentration of effort, the Transportation Ministry complied with the demand of the Samaria Regional Council and the Karnei Shomron Local Council for traffic lights at the Jinsafut and Funduk Junction on Route 55, one of the most dangerous junctions in Samaria. The project is expected to serve Samaria Regional Council residents including Nofim, Yakir, Revava, as well as the residents of Kedumim Local Council, Karnei Shomron, and Emanuel Local Council. Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan welcomed the approval: "Route 55 is a major traffic artery in central Samaria, and a major longitudinal road in the State of Israel. "The tender has just ended and an operating contractor has been selected for the Huwwara bypass road. Three years after the protest tent for the el Arub bypass road, work has already begun, and progress is being made on the Luban bypass road; the lighting poles are spread throughout Samaria, and the whole area is in a fever of intensified upgrading and action. I want to thank Minister Miri Regev who is a friend of settlement and a great steamroller who leads the transportation revolution in Israel, and with great dedication leads with us the development of transportation infrastructure in Samaria, I want to thank the members of the authorities in Samaria, which is a key tool on the way to fulfilling the vision: one million citizens in Samaria." "The road to a million citizens in Samaria," Dagan explained, "passes through extensive master plans, the preservation of state lands, and the regulation of young settlement, the creation of economic anchors and the cultivation of the community. The important project of the traffic light on Route 55 is expected to stop the traffic jams on the road to improve quality of life, and become another significant milestone on the way to the destination: one million citizens in Samaria." Karnei Shomron Local Council Chairman Yigal Lahav said: "After many years of living with old and dilapidated road infrastructure, which, with the growth of the population, have become major hotspots, we are happy to promote the traffic light at Jinsafut Junction that will bring immediate relief to many passengers and help all localities, Arabs and Jews alike. "On behalf of all the residents, I thank Minister Miri Regev for her personal intervention in providing a solution to this dangerous intersection and in promoting the transformation of Route 55 into 4 lanes, and I hope that the response to the additional intersections that have become many road accident hotspots will be answered quickly." These days, all the materials are being completed and are in the process of being organized to issue a tender. Expected start of work - February 2021.
