Traffic Jams on the Way to Eilat: Security Tests Close the Road to the Resort City
Thousands of vacationers heading to Eilat are facing repeated closures of Highway 40 due to weapons testing by the Rafael company. These frequent blockages divert traffic to Highway 90, causing heavy congestion and disrupting the daily routines of local residents and soldiers.
While Israeli residents vacation in Eilat and make their way for four hours along the road that crosses the southern desert, live tests of exploding munitions are being conducted in the area for security purposes.
Highway 40, which in normal times serves as the main access road for vacationers and for the residents of Eilat and the Arava, connects Mitzpe Ramon to Eilat and acts as an access artery to leading tourist sites such as Ein Avdat. However, this summer the road was closed several times, almost every week, for operational needs.
The route, surrounded by firing zones, hosts tests by the Rafael company — tests that determine whether new weapon systems will reach the IDF or remain in development.
The frequent closure of the road, which has become a major transportation artery in recent years, directly affects traffic towards Eilat and creates heavy congestion on the alternative Arava Road (Highway 90).
Eilat Hakham Schwartz, a resident of the city who was making her way back home, was informed in the middle of her trip that she was forced to change her route due to the road closure and travel via Highway 90.
Forced to change travel times during the peak season
Those who suffer the most severe impact from these sudden closures are the residents of the Hevel Eilot region — especially the residents of the kibbutzim Neot Smadar, Neve Harif, and the settlement of Shitim — alongside soldiers serving on bases scattered in the Eilat Mountains.
Residents and soldiers are forced to urgently change their travel times and daily plans, precisely during the busiest summer months of the year.
