Traffic impact of planned Gaza seaport on major roads in Gaza Strlp, Palestine

Abstract EN

the establishment of a commercial seaport in Gaza Strip, Palestine is a strategic national project that has several implications on different aspects of life.

The aim of this research is to study the impact of establish-ing the Gaza commercial seaport on the roadway network in the Gaza Strip.

Data was collected on the main roads and TransCAD program has been utilized as a research tool.

The results showed that the traffic morning peak occurs between 7:00 to 10:00, and that the average Peak Hour Factor is 0.91.

The heaviest peak hour traffic flow was 20,915 vehicles/hr.

This was recorded at the intersection of Jalaa and Omar al-Mukhtar streets, known as the Saraya Intersection.

The results also showed that traffic in the areas near the seaport is expected to be mostly affected by the seaport construction.

The traffic flow at the intersection of Al-Rasheed and Al-Hurreya Streets (known as Netzareem Intersection) is estimated to increase by more than 10%; however, no effect is ex-pected on traffic flow at the Saraya Intersection.

The total vehicle hours of travel on the network (VHT), was 19,981 vehicle hours in 2015 and has been estimated at 23,729 vehicle hours in 2020 without the presence of the port.

The latter figure is expected to reach 32,635 vehicle hours in 2020 if the port is constructed.

It is recom-mended to redesign Gaza Seaport with larger capacity and to expedite its construction in order to respond to the increasing local demand of goods considering that the seaport has been found to have a limited effect on the traf-fic network in the Gaza Strip.