Getting to Budapest Airport by car will be hard from today on!

From Friday, traffic will fundamentally change in one of Budapest’s most crowded intersections, the one at the crossing of Üllői Street and Könyves Kálmán Boulevard. Unfortunately, this intersection marks the start of the road leading to the Ferenc Liszt International Airport, Budapest’s main air gate.

A renovation affecting Budapest Airport car traffic

According to Blikk, the renovation of the Népliget overpass will start on 6 March, but the temporary traffic order is due to start today. The subcontractor received the terrain on 20 February. Samu Balogh, the chief of staff of Gergely Karácsony, Budapest’s mayor, said that drivers and commuters did not feel any change in the last few weeks. But that will change from Friday.

First, they will measure the load-bearing structure of the overpass to decide whether cars can continue to use it. However, if its state has deteriorated, it might happen that the authorities will close it to traffic. That is because the traffic is exceptionally high on it.

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The subcontractor will start building traffic diversions on 3 March at 8 PM. From 4 March, cars will be able to use two lanes in the downtown – airport direction. However, only one free lane will remain for the return journey.

It will last for months

The restriction will remain in effect until July, which means half of the tourism peak season. Of course, the result will be traffic jams since the four lanes on the overpass bear extreme traffic, especially in peak times.

Based on the estimates of Világgazdaság, the intersection of Üllői Street and Könyves Kálmán Boulevard sees 15 thousand vehicles on a daily bases and in each direction. Therefore, in just 24 hours, more than 30 thousand cars, trucks, etc. cross the bridge.

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The Hungarian news outlet believes that drivers going downtown will suffer from the change the most. The lane block will span 200 metres. Therefore, traffic will increase on Könyves Kálmán Boulevard. That means traffic will be slower on Üllői Street, leading to Budapest’s international airport, in the mornings and afternoons.

As a result, the Budapest Transport Centre (BKK) recommends all people use means of public transport. For example, metro line nr 3 already commutes between downtown and Kőbánya-Kispest train and bus station, though it does not stop on Nagyvárad Square.

Source: blikk.hu, Világgazdaság