"Both the City of Jerusalem and the Ministry of
Transportation agree the Shamgar-Golda Road, upon its
completion, will be closed on Shabbatot and yomim
tovim. The traffic circles made all along the road will
render it a city street rather than a major thoroughfare,"
reported HaRav Aryeh Devir following a request by HaRav Yosef
Sholom Eliashiv, shlita, to perform a detailed inquiry
regarding the road between Ramot and Kiryat Tzanz currently
under construction.
At a meeting of Degel HaTorah's Jerusalem branch two weeks
ago HaRav Devir reported his findings based on conversations
with representatives of the Ministry of Transportation, the
City of Jerusalem and municipal company Moriah, which was
commissioned to pave the road. According to current plans the
road is slated to terminate at Rechov Yaakobson in accordance
with the decision by the rabbonim.
Rabbi Uri Lopoliansky, who has been lobbying to prevent
construction on the road to continue into the chareidi
neighborhoods beyond Rechov Yaakobson, lacks the authority to
alter plans for the Shamgar-Golda Road, says HaRav Devir.
"This project received Urban Construction Plan approval
several years ago as an arterial road to be planned and
funded by the Ministry of Transportation . . . whose budget
allocations are channeled and used to fund only arterial
roads and not local city streets, which are funded by the
City of Jerusalem."
In practice, however, the addition of traffic circles is
expected to encourage local traffic rather than through
traffic.
"Canceling plans for the road is not under the authority of
the City of Jerusalem and its [council] members," reads the
report. "If one wants to act to cancel the road, efforts must
be made on the national level, i.e. the Transportation
Ministry, regional committees, etc. They are likely to have
reservations as well, because work on the road is already
underway using Transportation Ministry funds, therefore
canceling the road plans would have financial repercussions
and lay responsibility on various figures."
According to HaRav Devir, Degel HaTorah representatives loyal
to the authority of maranan verabonon have been
actively working to delay paving the extension of the road
despite doubts and concerns raised by a number of local
residents.
Participants at the Degel HaTorah meeting also denounced acts
by a group of provocateurs who deprecated shluchim
sent by gedolei Torah and made slanderous statements
regarding the rabbonim.
