Budapest, Nyugati Square’s monumental overpass will be demolished

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Demolishing the overpass on Nyugati Square (next to Nyugati Railway Station) has been on the capital’s schedule for a long time. The council overseeing all the improvements in Budapest finally made a decision which is to demolish the old overpass as soon as possible as it is “repulsive and ruins the view”.

According to pestbuda.hu, the council made its final decision on May 14, and the plans about demolishing were announced on Kossuth Radio by the mayor of Budapest, István Tarlós. The iconic overpass in the middle of the city was completed on November 10, 1981, but the idea was actually born in the 1960s and 1970s when the leadership of the capital planned to flood the transportation-developed Budapest with these overpasses to make getting to one point of the city from another quicker and easier. The same idea was actualised in front of the Keleti Railway Station as well.

Keleti Railway Station to be closed for two weeks

Due to maintenance works, Budapest Keleti Railway Station will be closed for two weeks, which will affect several train routes, schedules and terminals. Between May 13 and 26, the rail tracks will be renovated and the entire hall will get a unified asphalt pavement

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The idea of building an overpass on Nyugati Square was based on the fact that the north-south underground line (Metro Line 3) was completed in the 1970s. Because of the newly built underground the capital dissolved the tram line next to Nyugati Railway Station and Nyugati Square and decided to make traveling by car easier in that part of the city with an overpass without any traffic lamps to slow down the traffic.

Nyugati Overpass, old, Budapest, Hungary

Photo: www.facebook.com/szocializmushagyateka

The construction of the overpass on Nyugati Square (in the 1980s: Marx Square) started in 1980 and was completed by 1981. Besides the road for cars, an additional pedestrian line was added to the plans to reach the Skála Metró, which used to be a supermarket in the 80s, and to connect the bus station on Nyugati Square with pedestrians and with the overpass. This pedestrian zone was demolished completely in 2017.

What is the problem with the overpass?

Regarding its construction and condition, the overpass is safe and has been reconstructed several times. On the other hand, many people believe that it ruins the city’s view and there are many demands to “put the traffic back on the ground” and to avoid the city centre from cars and vehicles; only to be given for people and cyclists. Although, the procedure of demolishing the overpass will be complicated because it is hard to stop the city’s transportation even for one second.

As Nyugati Square and Nyugati Railway Station are important junctions in Budapest, tram line 4 and 6 cannot stop while architects prepare to demolish the overpass. Once it is completed, the whole transportation system in the city centre will have to be rearranged.