Surprising plans on the renovation of Chain Bridge, Budapest
Constructions and road works are constant in the central parts of Budapest to form the city into a modern shape. In the past few weeks, a surprising idea came up regarding the budget of the renovation of the Chain Bridge.
Daily News Hungary reported before that the renovation of Budapest’s iconic bridge cannot wait any longer. It was reported at the beginning of the year that the bridge is in poor condition again. It is not surprising as bridges are usually designed for 100 years, whereas the steel structure of Budapest Chain Bridge was renovated more than 100 years ago.
Read alsoSurprising plans on the renovation of Chain Bridge, Budapest
Népszava reported that the original project would include the renovation of the bridge, the Buda Castle Tunnel, Clark Adam Square, Széchenyi Square, and the tunnel of tram line two under the bridge’s structure. It was reported that Budapest does not have the financial background to undertake these works, and although Gergely Karácsony, the major of Budapest, requested more from the government, the cabinet of PM Orbán rejected it. The only remained solution was cutting the project’s budget and the renovation of the Buda Castle Tunnel was removed.
The leadership of Budapest came up with an unexpected idea to decrease the budget which includes bringing the track of tram line two between Eötvös Square and Széchenyi Square (with a similar structure that Kossuth Square has) up to the surface and demolishing the tunnel under the Chain Bridge.
Read alsoSurprising plans on the renovation of Chain Bridge, Budapest
After leaving Eötvös Square, the tracks would turn at the building of the Ministry of Interior, heading towards in front of the Gresham Palace (Four Seasons Hotel Budapest), lead straight ahead and connect back to the old tracks by turning at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. The tunnel would be demolished or revamped into a pedestrian zone.
The drawback of the plan includes that the tracks would cross the road leading to the bridge and cause more traffic congestions and slowdowns for the already problematic transportation in the city centre.
The leadership of Budapest only discussed and examined the plans regarding tram line two but have not decided yet whether to make it real or not. If the plans are accepted, the budget of the renovation of the Chain Bridge would decrease significantly.
The project was estimated to require approximately 8 to 10 billion HUF (23-29 million EUR) and would require careful and time-consuming work. The government of Hungary originally offered 7 billion HUF (20 million EUR) for the project.
Read alsoSurprising plans on the renovation of Chain Bridge, Budapest
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Source: www.nepszava.hu