Hungary to build new Danube bridge with a budget of EUR 1 billion
The Hungarian government has issued a decree to allocate funding for the construction of a new Danube bridge near Mohács and the accompanying road network. According to the decree, the total budget for the project is set at HUF 389.3 billion (approximately EUR 1 billion).
A new Danube bridge with a huge budget
Most of this huge sum will be spent between 2025 and 2029, while HUF 2 billion (EUR 5.1 million) will be allocated this year, Telex reports. In 2030 and 2031, HUF 100 million (EUR 255 thousand) will be earmarked each year to finalise the project. Construction and Transport Minister János Lázár has been authorised to begin spending the initial HUF 2 billion in 2023. Lázár discussed the bridge during a guest appearance at the Semmelweis Summer University, and a video of his remarks is available online.
Talks about building the Mohács Danube bridge have been ongoing for decades, but only recently has the project reached a stage where it is close to realisation. The project involves three main components:
- A new bridge over the Danube River,
- A 2×2 lane road connecting the bridge to the M6 motorway to the west,
- A 2×1 lane road linking the bridge eastward to Route 51, which will require the construction of a 19-kilometer stretch of new road.
The bridge will include two floodplain viaducts and a river bridge, with a total length of 756 meters. A 2×2 lane road will run across the bridge, with an adjacent bicycle path.
László Szíjj, the 6th richest Hungarian, behind the project
In April, it was announced that business tycoon László Szíjj, linked to the government, would oversee the construction of the bridge. At the time, the net cost was projected to be HUF 294 billion (EUR 749 million), which aligns with the current gross figure of HUF 389 billion. Out of this amount, the state will recover around HUF 100 billion through VAT.
Other construction firms like Strabag and Swietelsky submitted bids for the bridge, offering net proposals of HUF 309.96 billion (EUR 790 million) and HUF 316.03 billion (EUR 805 million), respectively. Last December, Minister Lázár estimated the bridge would cost between HUF 300 and 320 billion (EUR 764 and 815 million).
The plans for the new bridge, its connection to the M6 motorway, and the road network with Route 51 were developed by Speciálterv Építőmérnöki Ltd., under the direction of the National Infrastructure Development Plc. (NIF). According to the company’s website, the steel bridge will cover a total area of 18,000 square meters.
Once completed, the Mohács bridge will be the 21st bridge over the Danube within Hungary’s borders, following the Kalocsa Danube bridge, which is nearing completion and is expected to be inaugurated later this summer.
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Same bridge in Germany will cost half because they don’t have the cost of corruption.
@DNH … How does the state recover around HUF 100 billion through VAT on a net cost project??? And a construction firm is a company – which means any VAT will be offset…
At least the right party won the tender – go NER Knights!