Hungary will continue construction of the M49 expressway all the way to the Romanian border, Transport and Investment Minister Dávid Vitézy announced on Sunday. The project is expected to create a continuous four-lane road connection between the M3 motorway and Satu Mare by mid-2029.
According to Vitézy, the government has secured the financial framework needed to continue the project, which is expected to cost around HUF 190 billion gross.
The first section of the M49, running from the M3 motorway towards Ököritófülpös, is already under construction. Official project data show that this section is around 28.2 kilometres long and is being built as a 2×2-lane expressway, with several grade-separated junctions, bridges and rest areas.
Direct expressway link towards Satu Mare and new border crossing
The next section will extend the road from Ököritófülpös to the Romanian border near Csenger. According to the minister’s announcement, the roughly 45-kilometre continuation is scheduled to be completed by 30 June 2029.
Once finished, the M49 will provide a direct high-capacity road connection from the M3 motorway towards Romania. Hungary’s long-term road network plans designate the M49 as the route linking the M3 with the Romanian border in the Csenger area.
The development will also include a new border crossing. On the Romanian side, a corresponding expressway link towards Satu Mare is also planned, meaning the two projects together are intended to improve road access between north-eastern Hungary and northern Transylvania.
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First section nearing completion
Construction of the first M49 section has been under way for several years. The official project covers the M3–Ököritófülpös stretch and includes 28.2 kilometres of new dual carriageway, four grade-separated junctions, five roundabouts and 22 engineering structures, and the contractor is Duna Aszfalt Építő Zrt.
The ministry’s current project database lists the road opening for traffic by the end of 2026.
The M49 is expected to become one of Hungary’s key new cross-border road links towards Romania, alongside existing motorway connections farther south.
Financing had remained uncertain
Vitézy said the continuation had previously faced uncertainty over state funding, even though a construction contract had already been signed.
He also stressed that inherited infrastructure projects will continue to place a heavy burden on Hungary’s central budget over the next two to three years. Large-scale developments such as the M49 and the Mohács bridge naturally span several government terms, but this also means that hundreds of billions of forints in road investment are already built into the 2027 budget even without launching new projects.
The ministry is therefore trying to find room within these constraints to finance long-delayed renovations across the national road network.
