Main line widening on the M1 to start by 1 September at the latest

Preparatory work for the expansion of the M1 motorway began in autumn 2024. Our newspaper has reported on this in several articles reported on this based on announcements by MKIF Magyar Koncessziós Infrastruktúra Fejlesztő Zrt.. To date, protected plants have been relocated from six sites, shrubs and bushes are being continuously cleared, without which the expansion would be impossible, test piling has been completed (bridges and overpasses also need to be widened), and archaeological work and ammunition clearance are ongoing.

The expansion of the M1 motorway will commence no later than 1 September 2025 , announced László Szimicsku, communications director at MKIF, in an interview with Kossuth Radio. The first phase will run from the M0 motorway to the Conco rest area (kilometre 94). A 2×3 traffic lane will be created along a length of approximately 80 km, and in addition, as our newspaper has already reported, one smart hard shoulder will be built on each side, which will be opened when traffic conditions warrant it, i.e. when there is a traffic jam or an accident.  In theory, this will allow cars to travel on 2×4 lanes between the M0 motorway and Győr.

Laszlo Szimicsku said that the first phase of the grandiose work will be the 24 km section from the M0 motorway to Bicské, which the company is to complete by 31 August 2028, according to the contract with the Hungarian state.

The ITS system can therefore only be put into practice afterwards at the earliest. In the radio programme, the need for ITS to include intelligent road transport was raised, and MKIF will do its utmost to inform and prepare road users in good time for the operation of intelligent lanes. Digital displays above the lanes will also help drivers to find their way around.

Average speed measurement could also be an option

In response to a question, László Szimicsku also said that the MKIF would support average speed measurement during the widening period on the M1 motorway, as more traffic is expected on the narrowed or diverted sections. This is still under discussion with the police. "It would be good to be able to measure average speeds not only because of the traffic dynamics, but also because there are people, our colleagues, working there. If we reduce the speed with the help of the police, it means that a greater number of vehicles can pass through that intersection in a unit of time if everyone is speeding", the communications director explained.

He said that, as with diversions, speed limit signs are put up not only for safety reasons but also for traffic management reasons, as the biggest problem on motorways is that traffic sometimes comes to a standstill. They want to avoid this.

How the extension and diversion will work

As for the progress of the construction, he said that they will first start widening the embankment on one side of the road. A temporary pavement will be laid and the 2×2 lane traffic will be diverted here in the first phase. In the meantime, the opposite side will be demolished to a depth of up to one or 1.5 metres and then rebuilt and widened. When this is done, the traffic will be diverted to the renewed side, and the temporarily widened side will be rebuilt and extended. When both sides are finished, the widened section will be opened to traffic.

Widening of the M7 and M3 within ten years

László Szimicsku also reported that a ten-year development period will begin this year, the first step of which will be the expansion of the M1 motorway. At the same time, work will also begin on widening the M7 motorway (in 2027 – as discussed by Tamás Németh, CEO of MKIF Zrt. previously told our newspaper in an interview – ed. ), followed by the expansion of the M3 motorway. „We are also building new roads over a distance of 279 km. One of the most interesting of these will be the M200, which is essentially a super ring road that will run from Komárom to Székesfehérvár and then on to Sárbogárd, from where it will connect to the M6 and the Danube and continue to the northern part of Kecskemét, thereby relieving traffic on the M0 ring road,” explained the communications director.