"The motorway never sleeps" - Everything you need to know about motorway upgrades

From 1 September 2022, the operation, maintenance and development of 1,237 km (currently 1,278 km) of existing expressways in Hungary will be taken over by MKIF Magyar Koncessziós Infrastruktúra Fejlesztő Zrt. Since then, work has been and is still ongoing on a number of routes, which we report on regularly.

Renovations are needed to ensure that good quality motorways can be used at home. During the upgrades, road users will face many changes that may be unexpected and inconvenient, despite the company's efforts to keep them informed in real time through a number of channels.

László Szimicsku, Communications Director of MKIF, talked to us about what is being done to keep passengers informed about the renovations and diversions on each motorway section.

"When we talk about a national motorway network, we are actually talking about a network that never rests and never sleeps: the motorway never sleeps, there is always something happening. Because of its national coverage, there are always planned works and random, sudden events (e.g. accidents). This is why we think it is most important to keep road users informed of everything we know", the Communications Manager began.

"As a road manager, one of the most important tasks, apart from operation and renovation, is to keep in touch with the road users. For this reason, we publish all information about planned works, renovations and half-lane closures in advance," he added.

Útinform, Waze

Information is continuously available via Útinformon, and Waze also receives data on the diversions for the following week every week. This way, even those who do not follow the MKIF Zrt. interface but use the navigation application can be notified of the changes.

The MKIF website, Facebook page

The website has a separate menu item for renovations. The searchable interface lists all expressways operated by MKIF Zrt. and shows which week work will take place on a given section, whether on the side leading to the national border or to the capital. You can also see which junctions or rest areas are affected by the work, how long the work is expected to take, what traffic arrangements to expect, whether diversions are necessary, and how many lanes will remain open.

The aim was to create a searchable interface that would make it easier for travellers to find information. Of course, the Company also has its own Facebook page, where it reports on the most important and spectacular projects, expected major diversions and other news and interesting facts.

MKIF Messenger group about unexpected events

However, unforeseen events can always occur on the motorway – such as a car fire, accident or anything else unexpected – which are handled by a special Messenger information group has been set up to deal with these situations. All extraordinary and unforeseeable situations are posted here.

Accidents often result in congestion or even lane closures. In such cases, the information is received from the central dispatcher in near real time and immediately posted in the group, which anyone is free to join. The community of thousands of members has so far received very positive feedback.

Own news channels of the municipalities concerned

The communication is not only directed towards road users, but also towards the municipalities along the highways. For the third year running, the national renovation programme will send weekly official letters to the municipalities that will be affected by the works in the coming period. The communication includes why, where and for how long the work is taking place and what is expected to be done. Many municipalities also publish this information on their websites or community pages.

Channels for interest groups

We cooperate with the two largest domestic interest groups, the Magyar Közúti Transporters Association and the National Transport Guild of Private Entrepreneurs (NiT Hungary). Thanks to this, international carriers from Iceland to Morocco, France to Azerbaijan, can receive transport information in their native language within eight hours. Through the international network of the two organisations, messages are sent from the centre to the member organisations, so that carriers from more than fifty countries passing through Hungary can receive information in their own language.

"I became a road manager" video series for education

"Motorway upgrades and maintenance works cause traffic congestion, which is often experienced as a barrier by travellers. Unfortunately, this sometimes results in serious atrocities, such as my colleagues being pushed and verbally abused, but there have also been unfortunate incidents of lorry drivers throwing urine bottles at my colleagues who work to ensure that roads are in good condition."

The series „I became a road operator” was launched for educational purposes, presenting videos that show how many specialised fields and technological processes are behind each job. This reveals, for example, why it may seem that no actual work is being done in a closed area, when in fact certain layers or materials have long cooling and setting times. Numerous technological rules must be followed; for example, road markings cannot be painted on asphalt at any temperature.

The construction and dismantling of an average 10-kilometre long diversion takes days, as it requires the precise placement of thousands of devices - signs (around 1,000), lane markers - and the maintenance of damaged barriers, vegetation care and litter picking, which must be done three times a year, even for the entire length, by hand. Due to the increased traffic, this work is often carried out at night, but accidents - often caused by carelessness - cannot be completely excluded.

Special information on major works - such as the lifting of the Kőröshegy viaduct or major junction track structure replacements - will be provided with photos and videos. Questions and feedback are often received on social media, with many people appreciating the opportunity to get background information that they did not have before.

"It's a profession, there are rules we have to follow. But we also have to be transparent so that travellers can plan ahead."

About the M1 expansion separate subpage has been created

But the task is not just about renovation and operation, but also about development. For example, widening the M1 must be done in such a way that the two lanes are maintained for road users - a huge challenge for all sectors.

"We need to turn a four-cylinder engine into a six-cylinder engine while keeping the four cylinders running"

- László Szimicsku made it clear.

The M1 expansion is available in 13 languages landing page has been created specifically for transit traffic. It contains all the information necessary for travel: it shows on a map where the diversions are currently in place, an animation helps to understand the track reconstruction, and it lists the locations of rest areas, emergency lay-bys and emergency telephone numbers.

In addition, an animation was created showing how the traffic system will be transformed: from the original 2+2 lane configuration, through various work processes and diversions, to the final 2×3 lane + ITS system. The documentary series on the expansion of MKIF Zrt. M1 is titled What's up?!, with further episodes to come.

Citizens' forums

Several information forums were organised for local residents and regional leaders. Separate sessions were held for mayors and members of parliament, and four regional citizens' forums were held in Ács, Tatabánya, Biatorbágy and Bicske. These events provided an opportunity to ask questions and give stakeholders an accurate picture of the project.

Contact the press

"We have a national and a county/local press list. We are very proud that in the last three years we have not had a single press enquiry that we have not responded to. We make it a point to ensure that every journalist or editor who asks us a question gets a substantive response. For example, 119 journalists and editorial offices were invited to the joint press conference with Építési és Közlekedési Minisztérium on the M1 expansion"

- said the Communications Director.

They attempted to make all communication subpages available on one interface: by scanning a QR code, you can access Linktree, where all possible subpages can be found. In addition, further communication options are constantly being explored.

Diversions are signalled in advance in many places

For each diversion, the variable message digital signs (VJT) indicate the work kilometres in advance. The signs follow each other at several points starting at 1500 metres - 1500, 1000, 600, 500, 400, 250, 150, 100 metres - and are posted on both the right and left sides of the road, so that the warning is visible on both sides of the road. A total of 40 to 70 signs near the work area indicate the direction of travel, lane splitting and mandatory speed reduction. In total, from 1,500 metres to the "height" of the work, road users will encounter signs at 15 different locations, all designed for safe speed and work.

The professionals responsible for operating, renovating and developing the nearly 1,300-kilometre-long road network are striving to complete the work ahead of schedule. For example, in the case of the Kőröshegyi viaduct, the replacement of the bearings was completed five days ahead of schedule, and at the M4 airport junctions, the individual work phases were completed ahead of schedule.>Kőröshegy viaduct, the replacement of the bridge deck was completed five days ahead of schedule, and at the M4 airport junctions, individual work phases were completed 1-3 days ahead of schedule. The diversions will only remain in place for as long as is absolutely necessary to ensure safe traffic flow and adequate road surface quality. The aim is not only to renovate the roads, but also to educate road users.

The MKIF Zrt. strives to inform passengers about planned events and unexpected traffic situations through numerous communication channels. In addition to the platforms mentioned above, we also provide continuous updates on the Magyar Építők website, for example on the expansion of the M1 motorway and the modernisation of the M7 motorway on the Magyar Építők page.

The last 3 years have brought huge progress

In September 2022, when the MKIF Zrt. took over operations, the pavement age of the M7, M3 and M1 will have changed significantly. According to independent measurements by the National Road Data Bank, the proportion of pavements less than 5 years old on the M1 was 19%, rising to 67% in two years.

On the M3, the same indicator rose from 3% to 36%. This clearly demonstrates the tangible results of the national renovation project.

This year, 16% of the main line is due to be upgraded, with 3.1 million square metres of pavement to be replaced, 40 bridges to be renewed and 30 rest areas to be upgraded in 2025. Last year, a total of 1 million tonnes of asphalt was laid on roads, which was used to resurface 27% of the main roads, or 5.1 million square metres. This includes 131 bridges and 33 rest areas.

"Never before in Hungary has there been such a large-scale reconstruction of express roads as in the last three years"

- László Szimicsku concluded his presentation.

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