The New Danube Bridge is unveiled – Bridge to nowhere?

The Galvan Bridge, which will be constructed in 10 years at the earliest, will serve primarily the demands of the Olympics, not the real needs of the citizens of Budapest.

István Tarlós, lord mayor, and Balázs Fürjes, government commissioner, presented the plans for the next passage over the Danube, the Galvan Bridge, last week. The crossover connecting the 11th district with the nothingness of the Csepel mountaintop as well as the industrial sites of Illatos Street will be built, according to plans, in the depressingly far away future, between 2028 and 2033.

There are valid reasons for building a bridge between South Buda and Csepel, as there is no direct route between the Csepel Island and Buda within the city boundaries at present – István Tarlós is right about that.

Balázs Fürjes’s argument is likewise acceptable, claiming that – since the new bridges of Budapest are built alternatingly in the north and the south – following the 2008 inauguration of the Megyer Bridge, it is now the capital’s southern part’s turn.

It can, and should, be argued, however, whether it is really the Galvan Bridge that is the most needed construction. Up until the submission of Budapest’s bid to host the 2024 Olympics, most experts agreed that, in the southern part of Budapest, the Albertfalva Bridge should be prioritised. So much so, because that would not connect locations-to-be-developed-in-the-future, but already existing, densely populated parts to the circulation of the city: Albertfalva, Csepel downtown and Pesterzsébet.

The only reason the Galvan Bridge jumped to the beginning of the list is the bid to host the Olympics; however, after the withdrawal of Budapest’s application, there is no justification for it to keep its position there. The planned date of the bridge to be inaugurated (more accurately, its very long period) is telling. Paris will hold the 2024 Summer Olympics, and the 2028 one will be organised by Los Angeles. However, the Prime Minister admitted himself that he has not given up on hosting an Olympics, and is contemplating bidding to host the 2032 Summer Olympic Games. (How the government is preparing for the 2032 Games was discussed in detail by Magyar Narancs in April – ed.).