During the afternoon of the Sabbath, a sinkhole opened in the center of the Ayalon routes, near the Shalom intersection - one of the main intersections in Israel.
Although no one was injured in the incident, the unusual incident caught us off guard and the fears of similar incidents are at their peak.
The opening of the sinkhole raises many questions about the condition of the road in the area.
The questions arise both in light of the extensive construction that is being done near the road and also because of the proximity of the road to the Ayalon stream.
In both cases, these are circumstances that require an extensive inspection of the entire area and not just a spot repair of the current sinkhole.
A police car near the sinkhole in the Ayalon lanes, photo: police spokesmen
Like the experts in the field, Minister Michaeli also believes that this is not a one-off incident and announced the blocking of Ayalon Darom for the purpose of locating potential hazards.
"I believe that in the morning it will be opened, but I call on everyone who can not come tomorrow from the north of Tel Aviv, to stay to work from home and avoid arriving by private vehicle. Those who must come to Tel Aviv - only by public transportation" the minister asked and promised "I can tell you with certainty that this did not happen from transportation projects of the Ministry of Transportation. The most important thing right now is to plug this hole and make sure there are no others on the way."
Minister Michaeli at the Bullen arena: "Ayalon will be closed from rolling for the night"
The train also took the incident with the necessary seriousness and announced the closing of the nearby Shalom station in order to eliminate similar dangers on the tracks.
Therefore, the train traffic between the Hagana Tel Aviv stations (to the south) and the Savidor Center Tel Aviv stations (to the north), the Tel HaShalom station was closed to service. Also, changes are expected in the train routes, their frequency and their departure times.
A senior in the field of geology who deals with the sinkholes also told "Israel Hayom" this evening about the need for comprehensive tests in the area to prevent more serious incidents in the future: "I will not speak personally because I did not test the place, but you should know that this is a very busy area in terms of the ground under the road. There is also construction There is a lot in the area, which can cause the sand to erode and create a sinkhole, and there is proximity to the Ayalon stream. The proximity to the stream is important because it is a source of water that seeps and may take some of the sand under the road.
Preparing for more cases?
Michaeli at a briefing at the bullpen arena that opened in Netivite Ayalon,
"I also do not rule out the possibility that these are two faults together, both the extensive construction with its excavations caused damage to the land and the stream itself that flowed into the area. Therefore, I am calling for a comprehensive inspection of the area to see what the condition of all the land under the road is. I know that A main transportation route and that there is pressure to end the matter with the closure of the current sinkhole, but it must be understood that land movement can be wider and this must be taken into account."
the sinkhole in Ayalon,
Continues to expand: the sinkhole in the Ayalon lanes, photo: police spokesmen
The expert's position is apparently also the prevailing approach at the Ayalon Routes Company, where a source close to the company stated that "tonight we will close the southbound lanes. It is true that this is a broad closure, but the reason is that this way we can comfortably examine the entire road. Bring tools and see exactly what we are facing , what is the order of magnitude of the fault and are there any other consequences around here."
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