Kaplan Interchange () is an

intersection In mathematics, the intersection of two or more objects is another object consisting of everything that is contained in all of the objects simultaneously. For example, in Euclidean geometry, when two lines in a plane are not parallel, their ...

between

Kaplan Street Kaplan Street is a major thoroughfare in central Tel Aviv, Israel, running from the Azrieli Center Interchange (road), interchange on its eastern edge, to Ibn Gabirol Street on its western edge. History Named after Eliezer Kaplan, an important ...

and

Begin Road Begin Road is a major thoroughfare in Tel Aviv, Israel. It begins at Allenby Street and runs to its northern end which is at Arlozorov Interchange on Ayalon Highway. There is one interchange along Begin Road, Kaplan Interchange, located near ...

in the Israeli city of

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

. According to data from the Transport Ministry, the intersection averages more than 100,000 vehicles passing through each day. The intersection is adjacent to major office areas, such as

HaKirya HaKirya, or The Kirya (, ), is an area in central Tel Aviv, consisting of an urban military base north of Kaplan Street. HaKirya contains the Tel Aviv District's government center and the major Israel Defense Forces (IDF) base Camp Rabin (, ''Mah ...

and Sarona, and is a block away from Highway 2.

History

Early modifications

The location of the Kaplan Interchange was first mentioned in 1964. The interchange was a T-junction at the time, and parts of

did not yet exist. Construction of the extension began in 1966 with two steel bridges built over the Ayalon River. In 1968, Kaplan Street underwent widening to two lanes each direction. In 1971, the Minister of Transportation

Shimon Peres Shimon Peres ( ; ; born Szymon Perski, ; 2 August 1923 – 28 September 2016) was an Israeli politician and statesman who served as the prime minister of Israel from 1984 to 1986 and from 1995 to 1996 and as the president of Israel from 2007 t ...

proposing a plan for grade separation in the intersection, and a budget was later approved but was left unimplemented. In 1981, Petah Tikva Road (now

) also underwent widening to accommodate for

public transportation Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of whi ...

Planning and construction

In 1987, the Tel Aviv Municipality approved plans for the construction of the

Azrieli Center Azrieli Center (; ''Merkaz Azrieli'') is a complex of three skyscrapers in Tel Aviv. At the base of the complex lies a large shopping mall. The complex was designed by Israeli-American architect Eli Attia. After Attia and the developer of the ...

, which included modifications for the adjacent Kaplan Interchange. The plan was the largest construction plan in Israel at the time, and involved the construction of of offices and of shopping and entertainment space in six towers, each with 20 to 40 floors. The plans also included a nearby

parking lot A parking lot or car park (British English), also known as a car lot, is a cleared area intended for parking vehicles. The term usually refers to an area dedicated only for parking, with a durable or semi-durable surface. In most jurisdi ...

of up to 3,000 vehicles, and upgraded nearby roads to accomodate for increased traffic. The upgrades for Kaplan Interchange in particular were required in order to receive a completion certificate from the municipality. Following delays relating to the construction of Azrieli Center, the construction planning for the interchange finally began in 1999 with five different plans under consideration. This included a plan from architect

Israel Goodovitch Israel Meir Goodovitch (; born 1934) is an Israeli architect and urban designer who created remarcable Modernist architecture , Modernist designs and concepts, but is better known in Israel for his short stint as City Engineer of Tel Aviv-Yafo. ...

, but was rejected for its high cost. A cheaper alternative was chosen, and soon a budget was approved.

Since opening

On 31 March, 2003, the upgrades on Kaplan Interchange were completed, and the intersection reopened. The modifications cost $90 million

shekel A shekel or sheqel (; , , plural , ) is an ancient Mesopotamian coin, usually of silver. A shekel was first a unit of weight—very roughly 11 grams (0.35 ozt)—and became currency in ancient Tyre, Carthage and Hasmonean Judea. Name The wo ...

s in total, and traffic volume was expected to increase from 100,000 vehicles daily before the upgrades, to 150,000 daily after the intersection reopened. Since the 2010s, the Kaplan Interchange has become a popular location for protests in Israel. Different groups have held demonstrations in Kaplan Interchange for various causes, including supporters of the 2018–2019 Gaza border protests,

social worker Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social wo ...

s demanding wage increases, members of the

LGBT community The LGBTQ community (also known as the LGBT, LGBT+, LGBTQ+, LGBTQIA, LGBTQIA+, or queer community) comprises LGBTQ people, LGBTQ individuals united by LGBTQ culture, a common culture and LGBTQ movements, social movements. These Community, comm ...

opposed to the , protests from Ethiopian immigrants, supporters of the

Yellow vests protests The yellow vests protests or yellow-jacket protests (, ) were a series of populist, grassroots weekly protests in France that began on 17 November 2018 and ended on 28 June 2020. Some minor protests started again after the restrictions linked ...

, and participants of the

2023 Israeli judicial reform protests From January to October 2023, large-scale protests took place across Israel in response to the government's push for a 2023 Israeli judicial reform, wide-ranging judicial reform. The proposed reform aimed to give the government full control of ...

. During the judicial reform protests, the

Mayor of Tel Aviv The Mayor of Tel Aviv-Yafo is the head of the executive branch of the political system in Tel Aviv-Yafo. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property, most public agencies, and enforces city and state laws. The term of office ...

Ron Huldai Ron Huldai (; born 26 August 1944) is an Israeli politician and businessman who has been Mayor of Tel Aviv since 1998. Before taking office as mayor, Huldai served as a fighter pilot and commander in the Israeli Air Force. After leaving the ...

decided to change the name of the intersection to ''Democracy Square'' ().

References

{{Reflist Road junctions in Israel Buildings and structures in Tel Aviv