The first 28-kilometre section of Hungary’s M49 expressway, connecting the M3 motorway with Ököritófülpös, has been completed and opened to traffic. The four-lane road became available to motorists at 2 PM on Tuesday, the Minister for Transport and Investment announced at a press conference at the site.
Dávid Vitézy said the HUF 138 billion (EUR 376 million) project, financed from the Hungarian state budget, would take traffic away from Main Road 49, which leads towards the Hungarian-Romanian border. The new expressway is expected to reduce through traffic in Mátészalka and surrounding settlements by 70%.
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Construction is already under way on the next section of the M49, which will extend to Csenger, near the Hungarian-Romanian border. Under the contract, the HUF 141 billion project is scheduled for completion in 2029. It is then expected to connect with the Romanian expressway section running from the border to Satu Mare, which is also due to be completed that year.
Motorists can use the newly opened Hungarian section of the M49 free of charge for the rest of 2026. The road will be added to the country’s toll road network in 2027, Vitézy announced in a Facebook video.
A long-awaited transport project
The minister recalled that the development had been planned for many years. The first plans for the road connection appeared in 2007, while the former National Infrastructure Development Company (NIF) commissioned route assessments and environmental impact studies in 2010.
Detailed planning for the construction permit and the selection of the final route took place in 2018 and 2019. NIF signed the construction contract with Duna Aszfalt in 2022.
The completed section features 22 new structures, including bridges. Four junctions have been built, including the connection to the M3 motorway, alongside new roundabouts and connecting roads. A separate 3.3-kilometre bypass has also been constructed near Győrtelek, Vitézy said.
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Next section faces funding changes
Vitézy noted that the previous government had redirected funding allocated to the continuation of the M49 to other projects before the election. Although the construction contract remains valid and work is continuing, the necessary funding had not been secured in the central budget.
In recent weeks, the ministry reviewed the project and revised its funding plans. Under the new financing arrangements, implementation will be rescheduled through to 2029, the minister explained.
The ministry has also asked the contractor to cut costs. As a result, a planned ten-lane border crossing facility on the Hungarian-Romanian border will not be built. Vitézy said the aim was to reduce the construction contract’s value by at least HUF 3 billion, a proposal already put to Duna Aszfalt.
On the Romanian side, the construction contract for the expressway was signed in October 2025. Work on the section connecting Satu Mare with the Hungarian border could begin in spring 2027, with the Romanian continuation of the M49 expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2029.
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More funding for road maintenance and railways
The minister also outlined wider transport plans. The government intends to increase funding for the maintenance of the national road network fivefold and strengthen the capabilities of state-owned road operator Magyar Közút by increasing its budget.
The government is also working to end motorway concession arrangements. From 1 April 2027, Magyar Közút is scheduled to take over the operation of Hungary’s motorway network.
Turning to regional public transport, Vitézy said a detailed feasibility study was being prepared for a comprehensive reconstruction of the Debrecen–Mátészalka railway line. Meanwhile, the construction tender for the modernisation of the Debrecen–Nyíregyháza railway line is expected to be published at the end of this year or early next year.
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