新冠肺炎疫情期间，以色列也实行了限制出行的措施。一时间，该国平时最拥堵的高速公路也变得空无一人。与此同时，建筑工人们戴着口罩继续开工，利用难得空无一人的机会，来加速施工、升级以色列最拥堵的高速公路。一句话总结，那就是疫情期间，以色列的公路铁路建设反而更加蓬勃发展。
由于担心疫情的传播，许多国家都在争论是否要继续工程的开工建设。但以色列另辟蹊径，要求在工人戴好口罩、施工时保持合理社交距离的基础上，加大对公路铁路建设的投入力度。
以色列政府为这一临时行动注入了超过10亿谢克尔(约合2.8亿美元)的资金。近两个月来，当全国其他地区还困在家里的时候，相关建设公司已经忙得不可开交了。
推动快速完成公路铁路项目将对以色列的经济发展产生巨大的长期影响。据介绍，以色列的交通密度是经合组织36个工业化国家平均水平的3倍。以色列人平均每天要在通勤上花一个小时的时间，这对生产力造成了打击，每年损失约50亿美元。
以色列国家公路公司的数据显示，自从2月份以色列开始实施越来越严格的新冠肺炎控制措施以来，全国交通流量下降了约85%。在该国一年中最繁忙的节日之一——逾越节前夕，以色列处于封锁状态，交通流量仅为正常水平的1%。
虽然撞上了疫情，但以色列反而趁着封路加快建设速度。一些正在建设中的规模最大、最关键的公路铁路项目，比如特拉维夫至耶路撒冷的新高速铁路的最后一段建设、以色列中部一条高速公路的扩建项目，都将提前6个月至一年完工。与此同理，首都特拉维夫正在修建的一条新地铁线路也将加快建设，因此而导致的一条主要街道的部分封闭时间从原定的五周减少到10天的时间。
一位相关负责人表示，如果没有足够的工人，公司就可以根据需要雇佣尽可能多的工人，这是在该国经济危机后失业率飙升至26%以来的罕见现象。
如果他们缺少装备，他们就被告知要随机应变。需要在偏远地区架设电线杆的铁路工人拆除了一台水泥搅拌机，将其安装在火车车厢上，将其拉上铁路。
政府看到了解决高失业率的一线希望，希望招募更多的公交司机来帮助境况不佳的公共交通系统。
以色列交通部代理总干事雅各布·布里什丁(Jacob Blitshtein)表示，（对于公路铁路项目）的人力资源（投入）没有限制。布里什丁还提到，现在评估基础设施建设的回报还为时过早，但他相信这将具有“重大的经济意义”。
截至4月23日，以色列共191例新冠肺炎死亡病例。目前，以色列已经放松部分限制措施，来推进复工复产、刺激经济。随着交通要道上人流的逐渐增多，施工人员将不得不缩减规模、调整进度。“但只要有可能加速（建设），我们就会加速，”布里什丁表示。
Risking contagion，Israel upgrades empty roads and rails
Roadwork is booming in Israel as construction crews take advantage of empty roads and railways in the time of coronavirus to upgrade the developed world’s most congested highways.
Many countries have debated whether to keep up construction amid fears of spreading the infection， but Israel， spotting a chance early on in its battle with the outbreak， took the risk and kept labourers deployed with masks and social distancing.
The government injected over 1 billion shekels ($280 million) into the impromptu campaign and for nearly two months companies have been cramming in the work while the rest of the country is stuck at home. One recruitment campaign is referred to as “Opportunity in the Crisis.”
The push to finish projects quickly should have an immense， long-term impact on the economy.
Traffic density in Israel is three times the average among the 36 industrialised countries of the OECD. Commuters lose on average an hour a day in traffic congestion， a hit to productivity that costs about $5 billion a year.
Since increasingly stringent coronavirus restrictions began in February， traffic has dropped about 85%， according to Israel’s national roads company. On the eve of the Passover holiday， one of the busiest times of year， Israel was under lockdown and traffic was just 1% of the usual level.
Some of the biggest and most crucial projects， like the final stretch of a new fast train between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem or the expansion of a highway in central Israel， will be finished six months to a year ahead of schedule because building was accelerated.
A main street where part of Tel Aviv’s new subway is being built will be closed for 10 days rather than five weeks.
If there aren’t enough workers， companies have a green light to hire as many as necessary， one official told Reuters， a rare phenomenon since unemployment has soared to 26% in the crisis.
If they lack equipment they are told to improvise. Railroad workers who needed to erect electric poles in a remote area dismantled a cement mixer and attached it to a train car to bring it up the line.
The government， seeing a silver lining to the high unemployment， hopes to recruit more bus drivers than ever to help an ailing public transportation system
Jacob Blitshtein， acting director general of the Transportation Ministry， said there was no limit on manpower.
It is still too early to estimate what the payoff of the infrastructure push will be， Blitshtein said， but he was confident it would have “serious economic significance.”
Israel’s death toll from the coronavirus is lower than many countries — 191 people have died — and it’s already easing some restrictions to jumpstart the economy.
Crews will have to scale back as commuters re-emerge.
“But for as long as it’s possible to accelerate， we will accelerate，” Blitshtein said.
南都记者 张沛 整理、编译自 路透社
