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.

Construction and challenges of the Bosnian section

The total length of the Bosnian section of the 5C corridor is 325 km, but only 138 km have been built so far. Completion of the project is expected to take until 2030, due to the significant engineering challenges of the route. One of the biggest obstacles is the tunnel through the Prenj Mountains, which is extremely difficult to build. This 10.45 km long tunnel, including its connecting tunnels, will be the ninth longest road tunnel in Europe. Bosnia and Herzegovina received financial support from the EBRD last year for the construction of this section, so work is expected to accelerate.

The construction of the transport corridor between Budapest and the Adriatic Sea has entered a new phase with the imminent completion of the motorway between the Hungarian border and Osijek. The new road will significantly shorten the travel time between Budapest and Osijek, which could be of particular importance for business travellers and economic relations between the two countries.

The real benefit for tourists will be the completion of the Bosnian section, which could make the 5C corridor a competitive route for Hungarian travellers to the Croatian coast. It is therefore worth following the progress of the construction work in the coming years, as by 2030, a completely new alternative could be opened up for those wishing to travel to the Adriatic.

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