Did you know? The MKIF Zrt. checks the entire road network twice a day

Operation is not just about road inspection vehicles patrolling the network and carrying out repairs and diversions. It may seem incredible, but the operation of expressways involves more than 150 tasks in total, from bridge maintenance and rest area cleaning to keeping the road surface clean – crossings, traffic control devices, greenery on the roadside, protective fencing, and road markings, i.e. painted signs, must also be taken care of. János Tóth, Operations Coordination Director, helped our newspaper navigate the diverse motorway maintenance activities of Magyar Koncessziós Infrastruktúra Fejlesztő Zrt.'s diverse motorway maintenance activities.

The director is responsible for the coordination and harmonisation of the operation of the entire motorway network."Since 1 September 2022, we have been operating, maintaining and developing approximately 60% of Hungary's motorway network", he recalled. The company has been awarded a 35-year contract to manage the country's 1,237 kilometres of motorway network until 2057, including the off and on-ramps of 148 junctions and a further 450-500 kilometres of roads at 169 rest stops. Over the 10-year development period starting this year with the widening of the M1, this network will add 279 km of new motorways, while three former motorways, the M1, M7 and M3, will be extended by 299 km.

"In addition to these, 161 kilometres of new, state-built sections will be added to the road network under our management, so we will be responsible for about 1,700 kilometres of expressway in just over 10 years," the director said.

The Company operates a vast network of 20 motorway authorities across the country, each of which has an average of 60 kilometres of motorway. "Each of these agencies," he noted, "has 40 to 50 colleagues on duty; including the Operator's headquarters in the capital, the operational tasks are performed by some 1,100 staff members, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year." János Tóth said:

"With the new section of the M44 opened on 15 April, we currently operate 1278 km of main line with 169 rest areas and 148 junctions, and we also have to maintain 1571 bridges."

154 task types to be managed

According to the Concession Contract, the Company has to operate the track at level "A", the highest level, unlike in previous years: the time for the MKIF Zrt. to respond to the different tasks is regulated. As the director pointed out, "of course, the A rating is the fastest response time, which was a priority in the state's expectations of us.

In practice, this means that if there is a problem, we have to fix it within a certain timeframe."

For example, in the case of faults in the barriers or track electronics, there are also rules on the time needed to repair them. "The whole operation," he stressed, "can be seen by meeting the expected response times. New traffic counters and weather stations will also be installed during the renovations to complement the existing equipment, as they will help us to know the real-time conditions".

The Operating Company has 154 different operator tasks, some of which are carried out by the company using subcontractors.

"It's no coincidence that our road inspectors are frequently encountered by travellers: they have to cover the entire road network at least twice a day. And if an accident causes the inspectors to stop to help rescue or divert traffic, they have to make up the section later," he pointed out.

In addition to day-to-day operations, the Operator also has a significant task in building and maintaining diversions for major maintenance and development works. This work is not only very capacity intensive but also dangerous.

Waste management is a priority

At the rest areas, of course, waste collection is a daily task and toilets are cleaned four times a day. In addition, three times a year, the entire road network has to be picked up by the operators. "Cleaning the culverts is the job of every road manager, but you wouldn't think it's such a big job. We go through them once a year with a camera to check for damage", the director stressed. The same applies to the bridges: they are inspected every six months or every year and if there are any defects, they are immediately repaired.

Likewise, the maintenance of the vegetation is a daily task, as the maintenance staff have to mow four times a year just inside the crown, between the ribbon barriers. And the grass in the rest areas cannot be more than 15 centimetres high, so the maintenance of the green areas also requires a huge amount of effort.

"These are special village tasks, which we have to carry out on a huge scale", said János Tóth, summing up the work so far. Just to give you a few figures: in 2024, we collected 2,420 tonnes of municipal waste from the rest areas next to the tracks; we collected 143 tonnes of scattered car tyre waste and 126 tonnes of illegal waste from 24 different sites. As an added value and a priority for our environment, we are committed to removing all reported illegal waste within five working days. And in 2/3 of the 169 rest areas, waste can now be collected separately thanks to the MKIF Zrt.. Protecting the natural environment is important to us, which is why we have planted half a thousand saplings in around 100 rest areas. During the extension work, we are also paying particular attention to the relocation of protected and highly protected plants and to the planting of replacement forest in the same area as the felled trees and woodland!

Specialised tools are needed

For large-scale operator work, the engineering departments have a large fleet of machines at their disposal. Typically, they use Mercedes UNIMOGs, vehicles that can be adapted to a variety of tasks and are ideal for winter and summer work. For example, mowing is carried out with mower adapters mounted on the UNIMOGs, and during the winter operating season, salt spreaders are mounted on the same, while snow ploughs are used to clear the snow from the large vehicles. Special machines are needed for bridge and tunnel cleaning, as well as for pile driving and checking protective fences. Of particular interest is the bridge inspection vehicle, which is a huge basket lift, but instead of extending upwards, it can move the basket downwards and sideways, so a bridge can be inspected from below.

They work under constant official control

Routine tasks are carried out according to a banded schedule, which is regularly monitored by technical representatives on behalf of ÉKM (Építési és Közlekedési Minisztérium).

"Every two weeks, they visit all motorway authorities and check the tasks performed", added János Tóth, who mentioned that in addition to continuous operation, the largest motorway reconstruction in the history of Hungary is also underway.Between 2023-2025, the aged pavement on 43% of the main track will have to be replaced, which means 538 km. Naturally, the allocation and organisation of operational tasks will also take account of the renovation and upgrading tasks.

The MKIF Zrt. availability rates are contractually fixed and indicate the maximum level available in a given month. The Director also pointed out, in relation to funding underwriting, that "deficiencies identified during audits will result in penalty points which may reduce the amount paid to the Company. It is important to note that MKIF Zrt. will only receive the contracted amount in full if it carries out its operations without errors and performs 100% of the contracted tasks.The points are awarded for our entire activity: the timely completion of routine tasks, the overall service package and, of course, the condition of the roads. If our operational maintenance work causes traffic to be restricted for longer than necessary and planned, or to a greater extent, we can expect substantial reductions in charges under our contract.

This gives us a strong incentive to choose the most sustainable solutions for maintenance. It is therefore important to do as fast and as well as possible."

Drones will also be used for the M1 motorway extension

"The M1 widening will start this year and we are already preparing how to carry out the operational tasks for the 2×2 lane diversion, where traffic can only move on one side of the carriageway.

We are currently looking at how we can, for example, use drones to carry out road control work and even to investigate the causes of an accident."

The Director stressed: "We definitely want to move towards innovation, because roadside checks are a high-risk activity - for example, where there is no hard shoulder, or where there is a hard shoulder but a lot of traffic, or where many people use the hard shoulder without authorisation. In these places it would be more appropriate to replace the physical presence with a drone. We are not there yet, but we will be testing a number of new methods on the M1".

Similarly, for safety, the widening will involve the removal of live vegetation from the lane separating the two carriageways to reduce maintenance time. "According to an internal calculation," the director pointed out, "our colleagues spend five times more time on the motorway if there is internal vegetation to be maintained than if it were replaced by concrete elements. These elements are safer for road users because they have a greater deterrent effect. Of course, the plants cut down in this way will be replaced along the roadways, away from the tracks, so the proportion of plants will not be reduced, but planted where they are more useful."