Israel's Highway 1, a key east-west artery linking Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, is getting a long-overdue $800-million upgrade. The project involves expanding to six lanes a winding 16-kilometer, four-lane segment that runs through the Judean Hills as well as construction of new supporting infrastructure.

Twin 650-meter-long tunnels, two 800-m-long parallel bridges and new interchanges will replace the existing highway, which winds through steep terrain and is one of the country's busiest arteries.