Construction of the abandoned Danube bridge at Dunakilit can continue

The construction of the Danube pedestrian and cycle bridge between Dunakiliti and Doborgaz and the sections and structures leading to it can continue, according to a statement by the investor Építési és Közlekedési Minisztérium. The government is providing a total of around HUF 2.4 billion to complete the project.

As previously reported, the future bridge will connect the Slovak island of Little Szigetköz with the Hungarian island of Szigetköz, and its financing will be split 50-50 between Slovakia and Hungary: the Slovak investor ÉKM
VODOHOSPODÁRSKA VÝSTAVBA, ŠTÁTNY PODNIK.

Work resumes with the completion of the design plans for the sea bridge

According to a recent announcement by ÉKM, the project has been suspended since the end of 2023 due to contractual problems between the Slovak partner and the bridge contractor. The Slovakian investor has terminated the contract with the previous contractor and has successfully launched a new public procurement procedure.

Once a contract has been signed with the winning bidder, work can start again: first by drawing up the design plans for the viaduct and obtaining official approval. The government will provide HUF 940 million from the central budget this year, around HUF 1.4 billion next year and up to HUF 40 million in 2027.

The common pillar was not completed, so the bridge girders could not be lifted

The pedestrian-cycle bridge will consist of three elements: a river bridge on the Hungarian and Slovakian side and a river bridge in the middle. The Hungarian side is currently 58 percent complete, according to the ÉKM report. The bridgehead and piers 1 to 5 of the floodplain bridge, as well as the embankment of the connecting cycle path, are complete. However, the bridge girders could not be installed until now due to disputes on the Slovak side, as the common pier to be built as a bridge bridge section has not been completed.

The project will also include the construction of a 506-metre-long pedestrian and cycle path on the right bank of the Danube on the Hungarian side, between the dam and the bridge. The bridge between Dunakiliti and Doborgaz (the embankment bridge including the river bridges) will be almost 500 metres long, half of which will be directly over the water. The bridge will be connected to the Slovak side by a pedestrian and cycle path.