We visited the largest domestic construction project currently underway

Preparations for the milestone first shell element lift at the Mohács Danube bridge are progressing well, with several work processes running in parallel. We will report on the project, which is being implemented as part of the Építési és Közlekedési Minisztérium investment and the Duna Aszfalt Zrt. construction project, in a detailed report.

The allocation of supports ensures that no structures are built in a specially protected area

The project, which includes major road improvements on both the lowland and Transdanubian sides, will see a 756-metre bridge over the Danube, the result of centuries of advocacy. The crossing, which will include a four-lane road and a cycle path, will consist of three bridges of the same structure but with different spans - 272, 252 and 232 metres - ensuring that no supports are placed on a highly protected area.

To get an overview of the project, it is also worth looking at the main points of the bridge in the diagram above.

Of the four abutments, 1 and 2 will be built on the left bank of the Danube, on the New Moravia side, in the floodplain of the river. Pier 3 will be built as a pier in the riverbed; pier 4 will be built on the Mohács side, next to the railway station, as a right bank bridge.

Barge bridge built on the New Moravia side

According to the report sent to our newspaper, the bridge's on-site assembly area on the left bank of the Danube was already set up during the summer. Locking and welding of the steel elements that have arrived on site is under way, while construction of the reinforced concrete sliding girder is also progressing steadily.

Also on the left bank, at the top of the dam, a slurry wall to reinforce the flood protection embankment has been completed. Also on the left bank, the organisational access road was constructed in July.

The reed walling works were carried out on the left bank, and as a continuation of this, the barge bridge was built and the barge bridge was constructed, which will connect to the working area of the future sea wall 3.

As a further project component on the left bank, the test pile drilling of the 2nd floodplain abutment was completed in July, followed by the loading of the test pile in August.

It has been two decades since such a solution was last used in Hungary

In March, the O-cell test pile was also drilled, loaded and evaluated at the river bed at the construction of the 3rd embankment pier in the river bed. Structural pile driving can start at abutment 3 after the first reinforced concrete bark piles have been placed.

The above-mentioned step is a milestone in the project: the first bark is scheduled to be laid in early October. According to our newspaper, the last bridge in Hungary to be built with reinforced concrete bark was the Pentele Bridge, which was inaugurated in 2007.

Six 160-tonne bark piles to be brought to the sea wall

With the above-mentioned barking we also crossed over to the right bank of the Danube, as the reinforced concrete barking is installed in the free port of Mohács, and in pairs. The new bark is always installed on top of the previous element - this guarantees that the bark to be placed underwater will fit exactly.

We also learned about the project

In the free port, the bark will be lifted onto the barge by the Clark Adam floating crane, as they weigh around 160 tonnes each. Of course, the Clark Adam will also lift the elements into place at the jetty. A total of 6 bark elements will be built: the plum-shaped elements will be 52 metres long and 8 metres wide.

Another spectacular work area on the south side is the right bank assembly area. Here, structural piling was carried out on the high bank side of the bridge at bridge pier 4. The construction of the upstream structure of bridge deck 4 was then immediately started, in order to be able to connect it to the sliding girder. The end of the sliding beams reaches back to the delta of the industrial and public tracks at the Mohács railway station.

The steel cross sections have started to be assembled on both sides

On 28 July, the first steel elements arrived on the right bank assembly area and assembly started immediately. The second cross-section, i.e. the first 42 metres of elements, is now being assembled.

On the left bank, two arch bridges (232 and 252 metres) need to be assembled simultaneously in the required size, of which the first, so-called preassembly area, is already completed and the first three cross-sections, i.e. the first 52 metres, are being assembled. In the pre-assembly area, the assembly control machines have been set up, two long-span bucket trucks with a 20-tonne load capacity.

In some places, embankment foundations have already been completed in the lowland road construction

A major element of the investment in Mohács is the related road development:

A total of 28.8 kilometres of trunk road will be created between the main road 51 and the M6 motorway. This will be achieved essentially by widening and extending the main road 57 between Pécs and Mohács.

On the lowland side, a new route will be built between road 51 and Újmohács. On this almost 20-kilometre stretch, earthworks are mainly underway: about 8.8 km of humus levelling have been completed, and the embankment foundation has been completed on a further 2.9 km. The associated organisation roads and areas have been completed.

At the same time, following the ÉKM decree, the originally two-lane section of the lowland section is being redesigned into a four-lane section. our newspaper previously reported on this decision. However, the original plans also included a four-lane road near the bridge, and road construction work has already progressed in the area of the Újmohács assembly yard: here, with the construction of the Danube bridge assembly yard, the embankment has reached a height of 6.0 metres in places.

On the Transdanubian side, another bridge is being built near the Danube

Major road improvements are also needed on the right bank of the Danube, with an 8.5-kilometre four-lane road on the Danube side of the river, starting from the bridge and running all the way to the M6 motorway.

The first section will be built on the route of a municipal road between the Danube bridge and the main road 56, after its demolition, for 2.7 km. Beyond Highway 56, the existing Highway 57 will be widened to four lanes.

The first interesting project element in the right-bank developments to the west in Mohács is the overlap of the Budapest road parallel to the Danube with the future expressway. The river abutment piles of the B04 bridge structure being built here have already been drilled and protected by July. The latter was necessary because the above-mentioned sliding girder of the right bank span was built above it.

On the railway station side of the bridge, the structural piling was partially completed by the end of August, following the test piling. The support piling work will continue after the construction of the working space delimitations between the tracks. At the bridge, particular attention is being paid to the preservation of the adjacent Orthodox cemetery, in consultation with the heritage protection authorities. In parallel with the above works, the embankment of the Danube roundabout linking the bridge is also under construction.

After the utility replacements, embankment and bridge construction can start

Overall, the four-lane road between the end of the Danube bridge in Mohács and the future main road 56 is typically used for earthworks and embankment construction. This part of the project should be completed by October 2028, at the same time as the Mohács bridge.

This section will also include two roundabouts, two railway bridges, two roadway structures, a road bridge on a minor road and a cycle underpass, with the reconstruction of the connecting road sections. For these structures, the work currently underway is typically utility replacement works (permitting, trial piling, prefabrication) and preparatory works related to the construction of the structures. The embankment and bridge construction works can then begin.

The westernmost section has already been put into temporary traffic

Much earlier than planned, however, is the four-lane road between the 56 motorway and the M6 motorway, where the deadline for the technical handover is the end of spring 2026, in line with the Mohács 500 series of events. Accordingly, there have already been temporary traffic closures and traffic is already moving on new lanes and diversions in several places.

Paving is underway on parts of the main line, as well as on the cycle path and diversion roads. As a condition for paving, utility replacements, embankment construction and hydraulic works have been completed or are being carried out in parallel.

The Busó roundabout, a characteristic feature of the area, will also be rebuilt

In addition to the reconstruction of the "Busó roundabout" (named after the group of Busó statues at the junction of the 56 and 57 main roads - editor's note), which is the eastern starting point of the section, three more roundabouts and two main railway bridges will be built. In addition, the cycle path and connecting roads will be rebuilt, and new street and street lighting will be installed. A road bridge and a cycle bridge will also be built over the connecting roads.

On one of the two main railway bridges mentioned above, the bridge abutments and the deck have been completed and additional structural works are underway.

At the same time, the reinforced concrete beams of the other main railway bridge at Lánycsók were lifted on 28 July. The structure of the bridge over the Marazai stream will be built by partially dismantling and rebuilding the former two-lane bridge of the main road 57.

According to the report, the precast reinforced concrete beams have already been completed for all the bridges in this section.

Constant consultation and information to ensure safe transport

The report concluded by pointing out that this section, which was also a priority due to the earlier deadline, had to be completed while maintaining continuous and safe traffic. This requires continuous planning and organisation, and constant coordination with the authorities and operators concerned.

In connection with the above, the cooperation of the population in the areas affected by the whole project was specifically thanked, with reference to the next construction phases. "We continue to ask for the patience and understanding of road users, who will be kept informed of the progress of the project and the current traffic changes associated with it, so that they can prepare for them in good time."