An important street in the centre of Szeged may be thoroughly redeveloped

Plans for the transformation of Gogol Street have already been drawn up by Pro Urbe Mérnöki és Városrendezési Kft.'s experts, as part of the pedestrianised city centre.
The deputy mayor of the municipality, Nándor Nagy, who is responsible for urban development, presented the plans for the reconstruction of the aforementioned transport corridor at a public forum. The main aim of the change is to reduce through traffic, make pedestrian traffic safer and improve the quality of the environment.

Climate change is also forcing change

As part of the pedestrianised city centre, Kölcsey Street was made completely car-free ten years ago, and the more than half-kilometre-long Gogol Street is an extension of this. The reconstruction, which cost around 600 million forints at current prices, is justified, among other things, by the fact that the plants, which are used to the urban environment, cannot cope with the increasingly hot and dry climate, the trees have overgrown the street and are damaging the pavements, the walls of the cellars and the roofs, said the deputy mayor.

As planned, Gogol Street would be transformed as follows:

• one-way traffic would be maintained, with cyclists travelling in the opposite direction
• parking lanes on the opposite side of the road
• the two-metre wide pavement is paved with clinker bricks
• pedestrian and car lanes are separated by a green lane 1.5-1.9 metres wide

Accessible and loading parking spaces are created

As part of the project, the street, divided into three sections by cross streets, will be raised to kerb level at intersections, with lane widening to reduce vehicle speeds at half of the sections. The 5.5 to 6 m wide road will be flanked by 36 conventional parking spaces, two barrier-free parking spaces and three loading spaces, and micromobility points will be installed at the two roundabout ends of the street. Pillars would be used to prevent people from parking on the pavements," said Alexander Nagy.

Increase the amount of green space

The improvements will increase the proportion of green space from the current 670 to 900 square metres. In the street, 108 columnar field maples will be planted using root canopies to replace the current trees, and 1,354 shrubs and ground cover plants will be planted.
An important element of the project is the retention of rainfall, with water run-off from roofs being channeled into siltation blocks from where it slowly infiltrates into the soil. Automatic drip irrigation systems will be
installed for the green areas, and street furniture used elsewhere in the city will be installed.