Transit road is currently being constructed in Baja16 July 2008
A transit road is currently being constructed within the framework of the New Hungary Development Plan, which will ease traffic in the residential districts of the town following 2009. Highway 51 and 55 have been running through the tow centre; however, the construction of the 3 km long transit road running northeast of the town and costing 1.65 billion HUF will make it possible to bypass Baja. Once the bypass road is constructed both traffic and pollution will decrease in the municipal area and transport safety will improve.
Minister of National Development and Economy Gordon Bajnai and the heads of the institutional system for EU transport development signed the EU co-financing assistance contract in the harbour-side town of Bács-Kiskun County. The National Infrastructural Development Corporation is responsible for the implementation of the project. The total cost of the investment is equivalent to gross 1.65 billion HUF.
The first phase of the investment was handed over in 2004. This involved connecting Highway 55 from the Danube side and the route running along Kaszás St. down to the roundabout constructed at the eastern boundary of the municipal area, as well as building the by-pass road of the two highways running towards the south to Szegedi St (Highway 55) to the roundabout that was constructed.
The road construction works that are about to begin will bypass the northeast traffic of Highway 51 away from residential areas and therefore transit traffic from the Szekszárd and Dunaújváros bridges spanning the Danube will be detoured away from the town centre and residential areas.
The next phase of the investment will also detour transit traffic heading towards the southern border of the country away from the town centre.
Impact studies compiled earlier explicitly demonstrate that travel conditions will improve and better access to the county seat and the capital is expected to be ensured as an outcome of the investment, which is anticipated to have a significant impact on the economic potentials of the region and increasing employment potentials. The impact study equally demonstrates that the number of accidents on the road stretch in question is expected to decrease by an average of 80 accidents per year; moreover, transport safety will improve under regulated transport conditions and travel time will decrease.
Construction works are expected to start in the third quarter of 2008 and the completed road is anticipated to be handed over in the forth quarter of 2009. The route that is currently being constructed will avoid the town centre, however, will run through agricultural areas located in its vicinity and will also include the construction of two junctions. Reinforced earth roads running parallel will be created during the construction period to access the areas largely used for agricultural production and closed off due to the construction works.
