A faster way to the Adriatic: new section of Budapest’s direct route to Croatia is almost complete!

By June of this year, the last remaining section of the motorway between Budapest and Osijek will be completed, completing the Croatian part of the 5C corridor linking Hungary with Croatia. The project will not only speed up travel between Hungarian and Croatian cities, but in the longer term, it could also improve road transport to the Adriatic Sea.

Of the 88.6-kilometre Croatian section, 83.6 kilometres have already been completed and the remaining 5 kilometres from Beli Manastir to the Hungarian border are now being built. According to Portfolio, this development will reduce the travel time between Budapest and Osijek to less than two hours, providing faster access to the Eastern Croatian region.

The final 5 km section, from the Hungarian border to Pélmonostor, is expected to be completed by June this year. Construction of this section started in August 2023 by the Osijek Koteks company and is worth EUR 46 million, with full financing from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). Eight structures have been built on the short but important road section, including a viaduct, two flyovers and five bridges. The most prominent of these is the 318-metre-long Karasica viaduct, which crosses the Karasica River and the railway line between Pélmonostor and Magyarbóly.

Budapest and Osijek closer together

On the Hungarian side, the M6 motorway was completed earlier, so the opening of the new Croatian section will significantly shorten the journey time between Osijek and Budapest. It will now take less than two hours to travel between the two cities, meaning that Budapest will be closer in time to Osijek than Zagreb. This is particularly important for the economic and tourism relations between the two countries.

Although the new motorway section will improve the north-south connection, it does not yet represent a major advantage for Hungarian tourists on holiday in Croatia. The traditional route via Zagreb is still the quickest way to reach coastal destinations. The 5C corridor could be of real benefit to Hungarian travellers once the Bosnian section is completed, as it could significantly reduce travel times to Croatian resorts in the south.