Hungary beats the whole of Central Europe with its motorway network
Hungary has caught up with Austria in one crucial aspect, as it now boasts the most extensive motorway network in the region, although there remains room for improvements.
Hungary trails Austria
While Hungary’s economic development still lags behind that of Austria, our nation can take pride in its motorway infrastructure. According to the latest 2021 data from Eurostat, Austria has 1,749 kilometres of motorways, while Hungary has constructed 1,850 kilometres of dual highway.
Hungary has placed significant emphasis on infrastructure development in recent years, as reported by vg.hu. As a result, Hungary has not only surpassed Austria but also currently leads the entire region.
Is Hungary a motorway superpower?
Examining Hungary’s neighbouring countries, we find that Croatia has built 1,316 kilometres of motorways, Slovakia 849, Slovenia 616 and Romania 931.
These figures reveal that Central and Eastern Europe lags behind Western countries, a discrepancy that stems from economic and developmental disparities. The economic advantages of motorway construction are still debated in many places. However, it’s worth noting that developed Western European countries, such as Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany, maintain motorway networks one and a half to two, or even three times denser than Hungary.
While Hungary has 20 kilometres of motorway per thousand square kilometres, Germany boasts 37, and Denmark and Spain maintain 31. The Benelux countries, in particular, excel with 58 kilometres of motorway per thousand square kilometres in Belgium and 67 in the Netherlands. To put this in perspective, the Netherlands, covering less than half the area of Hungary, counts nearly 1,000 kilometres more motorways.
On the absolute scale, Spain surprisingly leads in terms of total motorway length, with 15,860 kilometres by 2021, followed by Germany with 13,155 kilometres.
Further expansion on the horizon
Although Hungary takes the lead in the region, there is still room for improvement at the EU level. In terms of land area, Hungary can easily accommodate an additional 1,000 kilometres of motorways. While not all will be built immediately, according to the plans of the Hungarian Concession and Infrastructure Development Company, another 272 kilometres are certain to be constructed. This suggests that by 2030, Hungary’s motorway network could exceed 2,000 kilometres in length.
This article (with data to back up their purported facts) puts this “achievement” in an entirely different light:
https://www.europeandatajournalism.eu/cp_data_news/Hungary-spent-1-billion-euros-mostly-from-EU-funds-on-empty-motorways/
.. And thank you, dear European Union, for once again funding what our Politicians claim all the credit for!
This is a one-sided story. Besides the Motorways, the roads in towns are a disgrace as they are full of potholes.
Just look at Szombathely and the road leading from Austria into Szombathely by passing Koszeg is shameful as the local authorities failed to improve the road since time of communism. It smacks of slovenly thinking and total lack of efficiency by those responsible, and it leaves me sad to witness this slipshod behaviour here in Hungary.
It makes one wonder what do the Austrians think of the Hungarians, as the roads in Austria in comparison are faultless.
Now, let’s talk about Hungary’s trains . . .
The original source for this article is in Hungarian!
https://g7.hu/adat/20220630/a-rezsivedelem-aranak-duplajat-szorta-el-a-kormany-felesleges-autopalyakra/