Highway 40 () is a north-south intercity road in

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

. At 302 km long, it is the second longest highway in Israel, after Highway 90. The highway runs from

Kfar Saba Kfar Saba ( ), officially Kfar Sava , is a List of Israeli cities, city in the Sharon plain, Sharon region, of the Central District (Israel), Central District of State of Israel, Israel. In 2019 it had a population of 110,456, making it the 16th-l ...

in the center of Israel to the

Arabah The Arabah/Araba () or Aravah/Arava () is a loosely defined geographic area in the Negev Desert, south of the Dead Sea basin, which forms part of the border between Israel to the west and Jordan to the east. The old meaning, which was in use ...

in the south, serving as a main connection between central Israel and

Be'er Sheva Beersheba ( / ; ), officially Be'er-Sheva, is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Often referred to as the "Capital of the Negev", it is the centre of the fourth-most populous metropolitan area in Israel, the eighth-most po ...

Route description

The highway starts at an intersection with Highway 90 near Ketura, about 50 km north of

Eilat Eilat ( , ; ; ) is Israel's southernmost city, with a population of , a busy port of Eilat, port and popular resort at the northern tip of the Red Sea, on what is known in Israel as the Gulf of Eilat and in Jordan as the Gulf of Aqaba. The c ...

as a two-lane undivided road. It then continues north, winding through the mountains of the southern

Negev The Negev ( ; ) or Naqab (), is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The region's largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba (pop. ), in the north. At its southern end is the Gulf of Aqaba and the resort town, resort city ...

. This section includes the "Meishar", which is a completely straight and leveled 12 km stretch of road. The highway descends into the

Ramon Crater Makhtesh Ramon (; ''lit.'' Ramon Crater/Makhtesh; ; ''lit.'' The Ruman Wadi) is a geological feature of Israel's Negev desert. Located some 85 km south of Beersheba, the landform is the world's largest "erosion cirque" (steephead valley ...

, crosses it and then ascends 250 meters along "Ma'ale HaAtzmaut" to reach

Mitzpe Ramon Mitzpe Ramon (, Ramon Lookout; ) is a local council in the Negev desert of southern Israel. It is situated on the northern ridge at an elevation of 860 meters (2,800 feet) overlooking the world's largest erosion cirque, known as the M ...

. From Mitzpe Ramon the highway continues past Ramon Air Force Base and

Sde Boker Sde Boker () is a kibbutz in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Best known as the retirement home of Israel's first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, it falls under the jurisdiction of Ramat HaNegev Regional Council. In it had a population of . ...

. The section between Ketura and Sde Boker is a scenic route, and some drivers use this road when driving to Eilat because it provides more attractions and scenery, as opposed to highway 90 which is considered to be safer and faster. From Sde Boker the highway continues past numerous

Bedouin The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu ( ; , singular ) are pastorally nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia (Iraq). The Bedouin originated in the Sy ...

settlements and the

Ramat Hovav Ramat Hovav (), new official name Ne'ot Hovav (), is an industrial zone in southern Israel and the site of Israel's main hazardous waste disposal facility. Ramat Hovav Industrial Zone is the locus of 19 chemical factories, including Makhteshim ...

industrial area. Between Nokdim Junction and Goral Junction the highway forms an eastern bypass of Be'er Sheva, also passing

Omer Omer may refer to: __NOTOC__ * Omer (unit), an ancient unit of measure used in the era of the ancient Temple in Jerusalem * The Counting of the Omer (''sefirat ha'omer''), a 49 day period in the Jewish calendar People * A variant spelling of the g ...

and the Bedouin towns of

Shaqib al-Salam Shaqib al-Salam () or Segev Shalom () and also known as Shqeb as-Salam, is a Bedouin town and a local council in the Southern District of Israel, southeast of Beersheba. In it had a population of . Shaqib was founded in 1979 as part of a gov ...

and

Tel as-Sabi Tel Sheva () or Tel as-Sabi () is a Bedouin town in the Southern District of Israel, bordering the city of Beersheba. In it had a population of . History The first Bedouin township in Israel, Tel as-Sabi was founded in 1967 as part of a gover ...

. From Goral Junction the highway continues as a dual-carriageway four lane road, passing

Lehavim Lehavim () is an affluent hamlet in southern Israel. Founded in 1983 and located in the northern Negev around 15 km north of Beersheba, it is a Local council (Israel), local council. In it had a population of . History Lehavim, originall ...

Rahat Rahat (, ) is an Arab Bedouin city in the Southern District (Israel), Southern District of Israel. In , it had a population of . As such, it is the largest Bedouin city in Israel, and the only one to have city council (Israel), city status. Ra ...

and

Kiryat Gat Kiryat Gat () also spelled Qiryat Gat, is a city in the Southern District of Israel. It lies south of Tel Aviv, north of Beersheba, and west southwest of Jerusalem. In it had a population of . The city hosts one of the most advanced semicondu ...

. North of Kiryat Malakhi, the highway merges with

Highway 3 The following highways are numbered 3, H-3, PRI-3, AH3, E03 and R3. For roads numbered A3, see A3 roads. For roads numbered M3, see M3 (disambiguation)#Roads, M3. For roads numbered N3, see N3 (disambiguation)#Roads, N3. For roads numbered 3A, see ...

for 4 km to Re'em Junction. This short section has six lanes (three in each direction). It then continues as a four lane road, passing through

Gedera Gedera, or less commonly known as Gdera (), is a town in the southern part of the Shfela region in the Central District of Israel founded in 1884. It is south of Rehovot. In , it had a population of . History Gedera is in the Book of C ...

and past Tel Nof Air Force Base and

Rehovot Rehovot (, / ) is a city in the Central District (Israel), Central District of Israel, about south of Tel Aviv. In it had a population of . Etymology Israel Belkind, founder of the Bilu (movement), Bilu movement, proposed the name "Rehovot ...

. Between Matzliah Junction and Gesher Lod Junction it forms an eastern bypass of Ramle and

Lod Lod (, ), also known as Lydda () and Lidd (, or ), is a city southeast of Tel Aviv and northwest of Jerusalem in the Central District of Israel. It is situated between the lower Shephelah on the east and the coastal plain on the west. The ci ...

. At

El Al EL AL Israel Airlines Ltd. (), trading as EL AL (, "Upwards", "To the Skies", or "Skywards", stylized as ELAL; ) is the flag carrier of Israel. Since its inaugural flight from Geneva to Tel Aviv in September 1948, the airline has grown to serve ...

Junction the highway turns left towards

Ben Gurion International Airport Ben Gurion International Airport , commonly known by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the main international airport of Israel. Situated on outskirts north of the city of Lod and directly south of the city of Or Yehuda, it is the busies ...

and immediately right at a

roundabout A roundabout, a rotary and a traffic circle are types of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junct ...

. It is then downgraded in size to two lanes until IAI Junction, where it becomes a four lane divided carriageway once again. The highway then continues through

Petah Tikva Petah Tikva (, ), also spelt Petah Tiqwa and known informally as Em HaMoshavot (), is a city in the Central District (Israel), Central District of Israel, east of Tel Aviv. It was founded in 1878, mainly by Haredi Judaism, Haredi Jews of the Old Y ...

and bypasses Hod HaSharon before terminating at an intersection with

Highway 55 The following highways are numbered 55: International * European route E55 * Arab Mashreq International Road Network, Arab Mashreq route M55 Argentina * Provincial Route 55 (San Luis), San Luis Provincial Route 55 Australia * Carnarvon Highw ...

in Kfar Saba.

Junctions and interchanges

The following junctions and interchanges are listed from south to north.

Route description

Junctions and interchanges

References

See also