M1: Hungary's biggest motorway extension gets underway

On 1 September, work began on the expansion of the main carriageway on the M1 motorway. Under the supervision and with the support of Építési és Közlekedési Minisztérium, MKIF Magyar Koncessziós Infrastruktúra Fejlesztő Zrt. is carrying out the largest motorway expansion in Hungary, according to a statement sent to our newspaper.

The project will begin with the removal of vegetation from the central reservation and the construction of service access roads, but preparatory work has been ongoing since last autumn . The company presents the progress of the work in a spectacular video.

In order to provide accurate and timely information to travellers, MKIF Zrt. has launched a separate website dedicated to the M1 expansion. This website contains all traffic-related information: junctions, possible closures of rest areas, current diversions with maps and technical rescue procedures, the location of emergency lay-bys, and the current traffic situation. The continuously updated page is available in Hungarian, Slovak, Ukrainian, Romanian, Serbian, Croatian, Slovenian, Polish, Turkish, Bulgarian, English, German and Russian. The page is available here.

11 junctions, 77 underpasses and overpasses, 6 complex rest areas...

The M1 widening is not just a lane extension, it is a much more complex, systemic development:

• 72 existing underpasses and overpasses will be rebuilt to meet the new cross-section requirements. The widened track would simply not fit under or over them.
• 11 existing interchanges will be upgraded and 4 new dedicated interchanges will be built.
• 6 complex rest areas will be completely rebuilt, while other rest areas will be extended and modernised,
• Around 300 new truck parking spaces will be created and family-friendly rest area improvements will be completed,
• 2 engineering sites are expanded and modernised (Bicske, Komárom),
• 7 at-grade sub-nodes will be converted into modern roundabout nodes, and modern drainage and water storage systems will be built,
• and significantly increase the length and height of noise barriers.

The biggest motorway expansion in decades is part of a 10-year development project

The prospectus reiterates that the extension of the M1 will be carried out by MKIF Zrt. with a loan and its own resources, with significant self-financing, on the basis of a concession contract with the State, in cooperation with ÉKM. The largest motorway extension in decades, it is part of a 10-year development period during which MKIF will widen 299 km of the M7 and M3 motorways and build 279 km of new expressways alongside the M1 between 2025 and 2034.