Renovation of Route 25, which runs through mountainous terrain, will be completed in the spring.

Two lanes have been opened to traffic on the previously closed section of Main Road 25 between Szentdomonkos and the Bekölce junction, according to a press release issued on Friday by Építési és Közlekedési Minisztérium on Friday.

During the project, which started at Szentdomonkos and spanned the county border, the road was modernised over a length of more than 6 kilometres and widened to a 2×1+hard shoulder traffic lane, on which traffic can travel in 2×1 lanes until final completion, expected in spring 2026, with temporary traffic restrictions. The construction work was carried out by HE-DO Építő Zrt. and the SWIETELSKY Magyarország Kft. consortium.

During the winter season, heavy goods vehicles were unable to cope with the incline.

At the press conference held to mark the opening of the section, speeches were given by Zoltán Juhász, Head of the Építési és Közlekedési Minisztérium Road Investment Implementation Department, Gábor Csuzda, Chairman of the 3rd Constituency of Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County, and László Horváth, Member of Parliament for the 2nd Constituency of Heves County.

The former route between Szentdomonkos and Borsodnádasd was narrow, with a pavement width of 5.9–6.5 metres and small-radius curves, and in several places the speed limit was only 30 km/h.

This section of road handles significant long-distance (Ózd-Budapest) and local bus and freight traffic in the region, as it is one of the main access routes to Ózd and the national border (Bánréve) on main road 25. During the winter, heavy vehicles (buses and lorries) were unable to cope with the incline due to freezing conditions and became stuck, causing significant congestion.

The development is part of an investment project entitled "Development of main roads 23 and 25 between Bátonyterenye and Ózd".,

During which the secondary main road was constructed with a 2×1+hard shoulder traffic lane layout, a pavement width of 10.25 metres and a kerb width of 2 metres.

Retaining walls between 8 and 9 metres high were built.

As part of the project, adequate drainage of rainwater was also addressed, with culverts built under the road at natural watercourses, the largest of which has a diameter of 1.8 metres. On the mountainous serpentine section, soil support structures (retaining walls) were required to construct the additional climbing lane: on the hillside, the remaining soil was supported by gabion retaining walls, while on the valley side, over a length of approximately 2049 metres – were widened and supported using a technology not yet used in the country, known as reinforced soil retaining walls.

The latter construction method involves building a temporary earth retaining structure, followed by the construction of 50 cm layers separated by geogrids. Using this technology, retaining walls between 8 and 9 metres high were built using approximately 80,000 m³ of crushed stone.