Palestine Now Has 1,980 Kilometers of Public Roads, Director Says

(Jewish Telegraphic Agency Mail Service)

The length of the public roads in Palestine in 1926 was 1,980 kilometers, including 780 kilometers of first class roads. H. B. Lees, director of the Department of Government Public Works, made a statement to the press on the work of his Department.

The Government is endeavoring to gradually correct all the principal roads of the country into first-class roads, he said. It is hoped that next year there will be nearly 1,000 km. of first class roads. The broadest will be the Tel-Aviv Petach-Tikvah road (some 20 metres wide) and the 50 metre wide Haifa Bay Road, which will be one of the broadest roads in the world.

The traffic on the roads of Palestine, Mr. Lees said, is considerable. The Bethlehem – Jerusalem – Jaffa – Tel Aviv roads occupies first place in this regard. On the Tel Aviv-Ramleh road 700 motorcars and other vehicles passed daily during the seven days of the present month. Between Ramleh and Jerusalem and Talpioth 600, Jerusalem-Nablue 250, Haifa-Nazaret 200, Sarona-Tel Aviv 700, and Sarona-Petach Tikvah 400.

The Government built and maintained the bridges throughout the country. Two bridges on the Jordan which were destroyed during the war, one south of Samakh 18 metres long and another at Jasser Sheigh Hussein 14 metres long had been restored, and a new bridge near Beisan 18 metres long had been constructed. Two other bridges on the Jordan would be built shortly. On the Auja, north of Sarona, a bridge 40 metres long had been built and on the Kishon two bridges had been built with the assistance of the American Zion Commonwealth.

As regards water supply, Mr. Lees stressed the importance of the water supply station at Tiberias which was the largest in the country. A water supply station will be built also at Haifa shortly. The problem of drainage was being examined carefully.