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

Hungary motorway road toll Budapest Airport
Photo: FB/Magyar Közút

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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