M1 extension: construction of the brand-new Bicske East junction is already underway

We regularly report on the country’s largest current road construction project: the expansion of the M1 motorway to three lanes. As part of this, the team at MKIF team are rebuilding the existing carriageway from the ground up; within a few years, the current 2×2-lane configuration will be replaced by a 3×3-lane layout, plus a fully operational ITS lane.

As part of the M1 motorway expansion, eleven existing junctions will be modernised and four new grade-separated junctions will be constructed.

To this end, construction is already under way on the brand-new Bicske-Kelet junction, which is being built at the junction of the M1 and the 103.

The concession company has provided an update on the progress of the work, accompanied by recent photographs

As social media page, MKIF highlighted: „We’ve now brought some fresh drone footage to show those parts of the construction site that might not be visible from the track.”

Over the past few weeks, earthworks, soil stabilisation and the construction of drainage systems have continued apace; and the work shows no sign of stopping.

It’s not just a simple lane widening

A highly complex, system-wide development project is underway on Hungary’s most important east-west transport corridor, during which 72 underpasses and overpasses are being rebuilt to meet the new cross-sectional requirements. The widened carriageway simply would not fit beneath or above these structures, which is why (as they state):

• We will modernise 11 existing junctions and construct 4 new grade-separated junctions,
• We will completely rebuild six rest areas, whilst also expanding and modernising the others; we will create around 300 new lorry parking spaces, and family-friendly improvements to the rest areas will also be completed.
• We are expanding and modernising two engineering sites (Bicske, Komárom),
• We are converting seven at-grade junctions into modern roundabout junctions,
• we are developing state-of-the-art drainage and water storage systems,
• We will significantly increase both the length and the height of the noise barriers.