Highway 10 (Israel)


Highway 10 is an expressway in the South District of Israel. It is one of the longest roads in Israel, extending for nearly the entire border of Israel with Egypt from the Gaza Strip in the north to Sayarim junction in the south. Under a military security advisory, its entire 113-mile length is almost permanently off-limits to civilian traffic.

Features

The route begins in the north with the communities of Hevel Eshkol in the west, nearest to the Sinai Desert. The northern terminus is the intersection with Route 232 near Kerem Shalom. From there it continues south adjacent to the border with Egypt. It passes by Nitzana and the Nitzana border crossing.
Highway 10 intersects with Route 211, which leads east toward Yeruham and Sde Boker. Farther south, Highway 10 intersects with Route 171, which leads east toward Mizpe Ramon.
The route continues south until Sayarim junction, where it meets Highway 12 in the mountains near Eilat. Highway 12 continues south to Eilat.

Partial rerouting

A rerouting of part of the highway was approved by Israeli planning authorities in 2012. A 30-kilometer-long section of the highway will be relocated east, further away from Israel's border with Egypt than the original route. Originally, the plan had called for two lanes of traffic in either direction. Subsequent to appeals from the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel and other conservationists, who argued that the new highway would profoundly impact the local dune-based environment, the plan was modified such that there will be one lane of traffic in either direction.