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The Kerem Tunnel allows for a the most unique riding and hiking experience.

The Kerem Tunnel is the first cycle tunnel to be constructed in Israel and was inaugurated as part the Jerusalem Ring Path, a 42-kilometer cycling route around the capital.

The tunnel connects Nahal Refaim with Emek Motza. Its southern entrance is located beneath Ein Laban in Refaim Park. The northern entrance can be found in Nahal Ein Kerem.

The opening ceremony of the tunnel which measures 2.1 kilometers long was held in Jerusalem and Heritage Minister Ze’ev Elkin Mayor Moshelion, Heritage Minister Ze’ev Elkin Avi Baleshnikov (Gihon water company chairman of the company) and hundreds more cyclists.

“In the past, Jerusalem was an attractive tourist city due to its rich past. Elkin stated that nowadays along with its historic treasures, the tunnel project also includes modern tourism. “The inauguration (of the tunnel) is an additional part of the development of Jerusalem, and the transformation of Jerusalem into a popular tourist city for all sorts of people in Israel as well as across the globe.”

Elkin, whose ministry together with the Jerusalem Municipality spearheaded the project, said his ministry “invests hundreds of millions of shekels every year in the improvement of the tourism industry in Jerusalem and in the creation of exciting attractions and ventures that connect the glorious historical past of our eternal capital to its future… I would like to invite cyclists everywhere to take a trip and enjoy the new, well-maintained and modern route that overlooks Old Jerusalem.

The project was funded by Elkin’s ministry as well as the Tourism Ministry. It also included budgets for Jerusalem Municipality and the Gihon Corporation. The work was completed by the Jerusalem Development Authority.

Elkin stressed, “The Kerem Tunnel project will be a central instrument in achieving our goal to change the concept transportation throughout Jerusalem.” “The new tunnel, which will connect with the Jerusalem Ring Path, will connect with existing cycle paths within the city, as well as the ones that will be constructed within the different neighborhoods. The tunnel is intended to encourage bicycle riding within the city’s residents and promote an environmentally sustainable transportation system in Jerusalem.”

The Kerem Tunnel was first excavated in the early 1990s in order to shift the main sewer line of the Gihon Corporation toward the purification plant in Sorek It is situated just west of the city. It is currently being used as an infrastructure tunnel that also includes the fifth water line, which connects to Jerusalem of the Mekorot water company.

“The Kerem tunnel project is a central tool for realizing the goal of changing the way of transport in Jerusalem. ”

Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Leon

The work currently in progress includes road construction, the installation of blowers, as well as advanced electrical and safety systems, to ensure the tunnel is safe for pedestrians to travel through at all times of the year.

The Kerem Tunnel also allows access to special recreation areas – including the Ein Kerem neighborhood, the biblical zoo, aquarium and the and the historical natural springs in Ein Laban and Ein Haniyeh. נווה פריצקי