The gate to Sziget is being renovated

Budapest Közút Zrt. has launched a tender for the renovation of the K-Bridge, which serves as the main entrance to Óbuda Island. According to the tender documents, the successful tenderer must complete the renovation – including the optional extension – by 31 December 2027 (the contractor’s contractual obligation, including the warranty period, is 76 months). Tenders are invited until 7 July.

It was intended to be temporary

The bridge, built to the design FŐMTERV, was opened in 1957 as a temporary solution for rail and road access to Hajógyári Island. A three-span bridge with a structural length of 99 metres was constructed using K-type military bridge elements, featuring a 2.8-metre-wide carriageway and an industrial track embedded in the asphalt surface; there are 90-centimetre-wide kerbs on both sides between the main girders.

Ultimately, the bridge has survived to this day. The footbridges on either side of the bridge, which still carry pedestrian traffic today, were built in 1973; no significant alterations have been made since then. The original designer was commissioned to produce the construction drawings FŐMTERV Zrt.—who had also drawn up the original plans—to prepare the construction drawings, which were completed in December 2024.

On this basis, the reconstruction will cover the following:

• reconstruction of the track structure: trapezoidal orthotropic track slabs will be installed on the new longitudinal girders, involving the replacement of the lower edge trusses and the repair of the steel structures beneath the track (approx. 106 tonnes),
• corrosion protection for the remaining steel structures (approx. 7,700 m)²),
• installation of watertight expansion joints at the ends of the bridge,
• the protection of the 10 kV and 1 kV cables, and, in the final stage, their installation beneath the pavement on the supply side within a protective conduit housed in a cable tray,
• the installation of a substructure comprising four protective conduits for the telecommunications cables,
• replacement of the suspensions for the water and sewer pipes running across the bridge, temporary shoring up of these during the reconstruction of the pavement cantilevers, insulation of the water pipe, and corrosion protection for the sewer pipe,
• road construction (approx. 320 m)²),
• paving work (approx. 230 m)²).

An additional option is the reconstruction of the pavements whilst maintaining their current width: the total width of the new pavement cantilevers is the distance between the inner edge of the railing and the base of the columns (approx. 68 tonnes, pavement area: approx. 323 m²²).