Road traffic could resume on the renovated northern flyover at Flórián Square towards Szentendrei Road in the early hours of Sunday, 30 August, the Budapest Transport Centre (BKK) has announced. This marks the completion of the full-scale renovation of the two flyovers connecting Szentendrei Road with Árpád Bridge.
Budapest can finally have traffic eased a bit
In the coming period, only minor repairs and the restoration of the surface junction at Flórián Square will remain, meaning the bulk of the work — the two bridges themselves — will be completed in time for the start of the school year.
According to Budapest Transport Centre, the renovation of the more than 40-year-old flyovers was made necessary by the significant deterioration that had occurred over the approximately 20 years since their previous reconstruction.
Moisture and dirt had damaged the reinforced concrete structures in several places, while water ingress around the pillars had caused the reinforcement steel to rust and the concrete surfaces to deteriorate. The two flyovers play a key role in transport in the capital and its surrounding metropolitan area, carrying tens of thousands of vehicles every day.
Both flyovers have been renovated
The renovation, carried out as a BKK investment with KM Építő Kft. as the general contractor, involved a comprehensive structural and condition-improvement reconstruction of the northern and southern flyovers at Flórián Square, including their bridge fittings. The most important works included:
- Reconstruction of the road deck: the condition and geometry of the deck slabs were improved, new full-surface waterproofing was installed on both bridges, and new asphalt surfacing was laid on the bridges and connecting ramps;
- Repairs to the reinforced concrete structures: damaged concrete surfaces were removed, corrosion of the reinforcement steel was halted, missing reinforcement was replaced, new reinforced concrete surfaces were created, and the concrete surfaces were given renewed protection against salt corrosion;
- Reconstruction of the abutments and bridge ends: new bearings and expansion joints were installed at the abutments, expansion joints above the pillars were eliminated, and the bearing structures above the supports were renovated;
- Replacement of kerbs and barriers: new monolithic reinforced concrete kerbs were constructed, while new prefabricated apron elements were installed along the sides of the superstructure and retaining walls, with high-containment road barriers and fall protection fitted on top;
- Renovation of the stone cladding on the abutments: the deteriorated stone cladding was refurbished and broken sections were replaced;
- Aesthetic restoration: defects in the structural surfaces were repaired, graffiti was removed, and an anti-graffiti coating was applied.
The renovated bridges of Budapest have a combined structural length of 686.57 metres, in addition to the renovated sections of the connecting ramps.
Flyovers completed on schedule
The project’s total gross budget is HUF 3.27 billion (EUR 9 million). Thanks to competition during the public procurement procedure, a highly favourable bid was received, meaning the works were completed for 59.45 per cent of the originally estimated value, saving Budapest residents more than HUF 2 billion (EUR 5.5 million).
The renovation is being funded by the Municipality of Budapest, with a significant part of the necessary funding coming from money recovered in litigation related to the electronic ticketing system.
The first phase of the renovation began on 1 March 2025 with the closure of the southern flyover. Once the flyover was dismantled, its technical condition was found to be worse than expected. Previously hidden damage to the deck slabs meant that additional technical works had to be added to the project, resulting in changes to the original renovation schedule.
The southern flyover reopened to traffic in November 2025, after which work began on the northern flyover. Drawing on the experience gained during the southern flyover’s renovation, specialists carried out a particularly thorough assessment of the northern structure.
Structural works continued throughout 2026, with the project exceeding 70 per cent completion in technical terms by May and passing 90 per cent by the end of July.
Once the official traffic-opening procedure has been completed, road traffic on the northern flyover is expected to resume on 30 August, in time for the start of the school year. This will mark the completion of the structural renovation of both flyovers, with the contractor maintaining steady progress despite the technical difficulties encountered during the project.
Minor repairs related to the investment and the restoration of the surface junction will continue afterwards, alongside the removal of temporary traffic-management measures, and are expected to be completed by 17 September.
The successful bus priority measures introduced on Szentendrei Road and Pacsirtamező Street will remain in place. Temporary traffic-management measures and diversions — including the U-turn facility on Pacsirtamező Street — helped traffic flow during the renovation and eased the difficulties caused by the works. BKK thanked road users for their patience and co-operation.
More on the Hungarian capital: Photos – Shocking rescue in Budapest: Child pulled from underneath tram after accident
The timeline in detail
This is how the renovation of the Flórián Square flyovers in Budapest progressed:
- March 2024: the Municipality of Budapest approved the funding required to carry out the project.
- October 2024: the public procurement procedure for the construction works was completed, and BKK announced the successful contractor.
- 16 December 2024: BKK and KM Építő Kft. signed the construction contract.
- 14 February 2025: the contractor took possession of the construction site and preparatory works began.
- 1 March 2025: the first phase of the renovation began; the southern flyover was closed and, following its demolition, its technical condition was found to be worse than expected. More complex interventions than originally planned became necessary because of the damage to the deck slab.
- October 2025: the partial technical handover and acceptance procedure for the southern bridge began.
- 15 November 2025: road traffic resumed on the renovated southern flyover.
- Late November 2025: the second phase began; the northern flyover was closed, and its demolition and detailed structural condition assessment commenced. The assessment revealed that restoring the geometry of the bridge deck was necessary, requiring another unplanned intervention.
- January 2026: construction works continued despite the winter weather.
- May 2026: the project exceeded 70 per cent completion in technical terms.
- July 2026: technical completion passed 90 per cent, further major phases of the renovation were completed, and final road-surfacing works began.
- 30 August 2026: road traffic is expected to resume on the renovated northern flyover, marking the completion of the structural renovation of the two flyovers.
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