Hungary’s busiest motorways to Austria, Lake Balaton to become 4-lane!
The Hungarian Concession Infrastructure Development Plc. (Magyar Koncessziós Infrastruktúra Fejlesztő Zrt., MKIF) is operating 1,237 kilometres of motorway in Hungary. They announced the development of the two busiest motorways in Hungary, the M1 connecting Budapest with Austria and the M7 connecting the Hungarian capital with Lake Balaton and Croatia. The renewed motorways will have 3+1X3+1 lanes in several segments, instead of the current 2X2. Hopefully, there will be fewer traffic jams towards Austria and Croatia after the extension.
Motorways will be renewed in Hungary
According to index.hu, the company will operate and extend 1,237 kilometres of Hungarian motorway until 2057. The MKIF is in the ownership of a consortium of private equity funds belonging to László SzÃjj and LÅ‘rinc Mészáros, two well-known Hungarian government-close businessmen. Antal Rogán, the Head of the Cabinet of the Prime Minister, said the contract with the MKIF can be extended with the M5 and M6 motorways.
The MKIF started to operate most of the Hungarian motorways from 1 September 2022. Until 2034, they undertook the obligation to build 279 kilometres of high-speed road and 299 kilometres of motorway. Before that, they have to bring the motorway pavements to a uniform level, which means the renovation of 538 kilometres. The deadline for this project is 31 August 2025. In 2023, they finished 3.6 million sqm, and in 2024, they completed 3.9 million sqm, 20% of the total highway pavement. Moreover, they will renew 200 bridges and overpasses.
Developments will start in 2025
In the next few years, MKIF plans to extend the M1, M7 and M3 motorways. The M1 will be extended between the M0 ringroad and the Austrian-Hungarian border. The M7 will be extended between the M0 and Balatonvilágos, while the M3 between Budapest’s Szentmihályi Street and Gyöngyös.
The extension of the M1 will start in 2025, the M7 in 2027, and the M3 in 2031. The third lane between the M0 and Concó will be ready in three years. The MKIF will build intelligent hard shoulders (ITS), which will open for drivers only if traffic is heavy. As a result, in peak hours, vehicles will be able to use four lanes to Austria and back to Győr. Between Győr and Hegyeshalom, the 2X2 lanes will remain, with an additional ITS.
The details of the extensions
The M7 motorway will have four lanes (3+1) until Szabadbattyán, and between Szabadbattyán and Balatonvilágos, there will be 2+1 lanes. Work will start in 2027. The construction of M200, connecting Komárom and Székesfehérvár, will also begin three years later.
The M3 will have 3+1 lanes until Gyöngyös, but the project will only start in 2031.
In Polgárdi, Hungary’s most modern asphalt mixing plant is under construction. The test period will start in October. The plant aims to help the operation and extension of the M7 motorway.
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