Unexpected announcement: M1 Budapest-Vienna motorway will become three-lane!

The government recognised that the capacity of the two-lane motorway is no longer enough for the increased traffic present every day. However, only a shorter segment will become a three-lane between Budapest and Bicske.

The decision is surprising because, after the 2022 landslide victory of Orbán’s Fidesz, the government announced they would scrap most of the construction and development projects concerning the Hungarian infrastructure. Therefore, they cancelled the extension of the M1 motorway connecting Budapest with Vienna, which is Hungary’s most important road.

According to hvg.hu, that changed yesterday. The Orbán cabinet revised the contract they signed with the government-close Lőrinc Mészáros and László Szíjj-owned Magyar Koncessziós Infrastruktúra-Fejlesztő Ltd. (MKIF). MKIF maintains and builds Hungary’s motorways after winning the relevant application in 2022. The business is profitable and may result in an income of billions of euros for the owners.

The government said they postponed or even cancelled some infrastructure developments in 2023 due to the economic crisis. However, they acknowledge that the M1 motorway is one of the main arteries of the Hungarian economy, so its development is a must.

Read also:

Surprising announcement: will Hungarian motorway development completely stop? – Read more HERE
How does a 1-km-long motorway section cost EUR 112 million in Hungary!?

Without the development of the M1 motorway, more accidents will come

Therefore, the motorway will be extended between Bicske and Budapest. The new three-lane road will help East-West transit, transport and passenger traffic.

The M0 motorway, going around Budapest, starts near Bicske, so the development will mean that the most crowded segment will become three-lane. That is where trucks commute to the M5 (Serbia), M4 (Romania), M3 (Ukraine), M6 (Croatia), and M7 (Croatia) motorways.

According to the government, the postponement of the development may result in the increased risk of accidents in that segment and the baulk of international, national and regional traffic and transport.

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3 Comments

Horst says:

03/02/2024 at 16:04

Is the real reason for this construction that Orbán wants to get faster to Felcsút?
Anonymous says:

03/02/2024 at 19:15

You only need the third lane in the westbound direction for all the young Hungarians who just want to leave Orbanistan.
Stephen S says:

04/02/2024 at 13:56

It’s a necessary development and, frankly, long overdue, but the widening is also required much further west, arguably all the way to Hegyeshalom. Granted, start with this part but the aspiration needs to be to have a 3-lane road to the border as the traffic volumes will keep swelling. Unfortunately, due to the aggressive behaviour of (mainly) Hungarian registered cars, it has become decidedly unpleasant to drive on the M1 at virtually any time other than the middle of the night. Even then you have high speed hussars who feel entitled to attempt to vapourise you with their high beam headlights for having the temerity to overtake others while travelling at the speed limit. Combined with the expensive toll charge I prefer to take an extra hour and save the toll fee by driving on road 1 between Budapest and Hegyeshalom, preserving my nerves in the process.