Tel Aviv Light Rail Construction Causes Less Traffic Than Expected

Despite the warnings of possible scenarios, residents of Tel Aviv did not feel significant traffic in the city and its surroundings on the first day of construction of the light rail.

The first phase of construction began Sunday at around 10:00 pm and several main streets were closed to traffic. This morning, however, no unusual traffic was felt inside Tel Aviv.

Most of last night's work focused on changes in traffic in problematic areas. This morning, the workers prepared the area for digging.

Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai told reporters this morning: "Children are still on their summer vacation. The little traffic we saw was a result of everyone panicking and not showing up at work. Today's traffic level was normal for Tel Aviv." Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz praised the preparation efforts: "I guess people took things seriously. Obviously, we were prepared."

In less than two weeks, on August 14th, the constructors will start digging the Carlebach Station in Tel Aviv. On August 20th, the digging for two underground light rail stops in Ramat Gan will begin.

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