Traffic chaos in Bethlehem – tunnel planned to be built under Manger Square

#bethlehem #christmas #trafficchaos #nativitychurch Bethlehem is a town of 28000 and the place where Lord Jesus Christ was born and it is faced with a major traffic chaos problem as devotees pour into the city for Christmas. There are traffic snarls streets all over including around the church which marks the spot where Jesus was born.
In order to overcome the problem, the authorities are contemplating a sort of dramatic solution to the problem – they plan to dig a tunnel under Manger Square and between the two sides of the square because the modern, densely populated town of 28,000 is, in fact, a dizzying maze of small streets where traffic jams are unavoidable.
Incidentally, Bethlehem is sandwiched on three sides by other towns. In the north and southeast, there are the separation barriers of Israel apart from Jewish settlements. Moreover, it is a main transit point for drivers between the northern and southern parts of the West Bank. This adds to the woes of congestion.
The area surrounding the Nativity Church, built on the site where Christians believe Jesus was born, is particularly busy, because tourists keep swarming in the area and vehicles try to squeeze through Manger Square.
The plan proposed is to build a 80m-tunnel that would pass under a narrow two-lane street that crosses Manger Square in front of the Nativity Church. The project would take about two years to complete and would cost £2.5m to £3.2m pounds and the Palestinian Authority has pledged to foot the bill. Once approved, the construction could begin in autumn next year.
However, things may not be that easy because the stamp of approval would be required from the UN's cultural agency UNESCO which has listed the Nativity Church as a World Heritage site and would want to ensure that its protection is guaranteed.