The development stage of the new Danube Bridge, the Galvani Bridge, is progressing, as the social consultation and impact assessment of the Pest route of the new bridge’s road network has now been completed, Dávid Vitézy said on his social media.
According to Infostart, the Budapest Public Development Council decided in February 2020 to support the construction of the Galvani Bridge as it would reduce and divert the traffic within the city and connect and shorten the route between the districts of South Pest. The bridge will have a 2 by 2 road, wide bike paths, and a tram line.
The designing of the bridge itself and the boulevard directly connected to it has been going on ever since, and its preparations will be completed before the end of 2021. In his Facebook post, Dávid Vitézy, the chairman of the executive board of the Budapest Public Development Council, recalls that the plans for the bridge and the related boulevard were published at ujdunahid.hu in the summer of 2020, giving an opportunity for people to express their opinion about the project. A very high percentage, 84-90% of those who completed the questionnaire supported the selected solutions.
As the decision has been made about the route of the boulevard between Fehérvári Road and Gubacsi Road, the next step is the construction and implementation, says the chairman of the Budapest Public Development Council.
At the same time, however, the Pest route of the boulevard connected to the Galvani Bridge has not been decided yet, and the Budapest Public Development Council (BPDC) has decided to request the examination and impact analysis of 6 variants. This task was performed by BPDC and Nemzeti Infrastruktúra Fejlesztő Zrt. (National Infrastructure Developer Ltd.).
They involved the capital, the affected districts (Kispest, Ferencváros, Kőbánya), and locally active non-governmental organisations in the development of the investigation methodology and the impact assessments.
An online public forum was held, and everyone was given the opportunity to form their opinion on www.budapestujkorutja.hu.
Boulevard Version 2
Source: budapestujkorutja.hu
Boulevard Version 2 Cross Section
Source: budapestujkorutja.hu
Boulevard Version 2 Satellite View
Source: budapestujkorutja.hu
Boulevard Version 2 Statistics
Source: budapestujkorutja.hu
According to Dávid Vitézy, there are two variants that can be considered, given the answers of the respondents: one is variant 2, which involves the construction of a tunnel on the edge of Kiserdő, and the other is variant 3, which involves the construction of a tunnel under the current roadway of Határ Road.
Boulevard Version 3
Source: budapestujkorutja.hu
Boulevard Version 3 Cross Section
Source: budapestujkorutja.hu
Boulevard Version 3 Satellite View
Source: budapestujkorutja.hu
Boulevard Version 3 Statistics
Source: budapestujkorutja.hu
The major difference between the two variants is that though the tunnel under Kiserdő is further away from the houses on Határ Road, it affects the forest, while the tunnel directly under Határ Road keeps the forest untouched, but the road would be closer to the houses.
In total, version 3, the one that avoids the forest area, enjoys greater support among the respondents.
Of course, several technical issues need to be solved, such as the proper design of the entrance and exit sections of the tunnel, the proper organisation of the long-term construction, and the protection of the heritage buildings at the Wekerle housing estate.
A further preliminary examination of these issues was carried out in November, but no definitive decision was made about the Pest side of the boulevard connected to the Galvani Bridge.
