Orbán cabinet is building pointless Danube bridge for tremendous money while Budapest bridges rot – photos

According to G7, even the government’s own feasibility study does not justify building a four-lane bridge across the Danube near Mohács, which will cost taxpayers over 300 billion forints (EUR 765 million). Meanwhile, critical bridges like Petőfi and Árpád in Budapest, which handle heavy traffic, lack funds for refurbishment. On the Csepel Gubacsi Bridge, a vital artery of Hungary’s economy, speed limits have been reduced to just 5 km/h due to serious structural issues.

Pointless new Danube bridge

G7 highlights that Hungary has both overpriced construction projects and those whose existence is justified only by rent-seeking, where certain groups profit from public money without any real public benefit. Take the M6 motorway, which continues to generate billions in losses annually (54 billion forints in 2024 alone). But the Mohács Danube Bridge stands out with its enormous 300 billion forint price tag, entirely disproportionate to the predicted daily traffic of just 600 vehicles.

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The government greenlit the bridge project last August, awarding it to Duna Aszfalt, a company linked to Szijj László. Although construction is well underway, G7 reported that the ministry refused to release the feasibility study, claiming it remains confidential as a decision-preparatory document even in 2025.

Why was the feasibility study kept secret?

The reason is clear: the study and the government’s manipulations reveal the flawed nature of the Mohács Danube Bridge project:

• It forecasts vehicle traffic equivalent to a small feeder road (604–616 “unit vehicles,” a measure where trucks and buses count as 2-3 cars, allowing comparison).
• It already includes projected growth between 2015 and 2025, showing little increase.
• Therefore, there is no justification for a four-lane bridge.
• The existing ferry service it aims to replace is rarely used and declining.
• The Mohács region itself is shrinking demographically.

Read our previous article about the Mohács Danube bridge: century-long dream to be realised

How much will the new Danube bridge actually cost?

Intriguingly, the chosen II. B project option was originally estimated at just 27.4 billion forints in 2015. Factoring in inflation and economic crises, that should rise to around 57.4 billion: only a fifth of the current award won by Szíjj’s company.

So why the huge difference? The initial technical plans were heavily expanded. While Budapest struggles to fund essential renovations on key bridges like Petőfi and Árpád—and the Gubacsi Bridge is on the verge of collapse with 5 km/h speed restrictions—the government inexplicably chose to build a four-lane bridge and at least 26 km of four-lane access roads near Mohács. According to G7, opportunistic profits for contractors close to the government add to the cost.

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A striking comparison is the Galvani Bridge in Budapest, estimated at 150 billion forints in 2021 to carry 44,000 vehicles daily alongside trams and connect several districts, aiding the revitalisation of the southern rusty belt. Yet not a shovel has been turned for its construction.

• The old Elisabeth Bridge in Budapest: one of the world’s most beautiful and longest chain bridges was demolished 80 years ago

Why does the government say this bridge is needed?

They claim it will handle Balkan transit traffic. However, calculations show this won’t happen; trucks will continue using the M5 motorway and the Osijek-M6 route instead.

It’s worth noting that beyond the economic arguments, the bridge may also serve the government’s prestige interests. It will feature prominently in next year’s 500th anniversary of the Battle of Mohács commemorations, organised with grand programmes and Turkish-Hungarian cooperation. The choice of bridge will be significant for how President Erdoğan arrives at the Mohács battlefield.

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