Bypass Section of Expressway M0 to be Extended with the Help of EU Funding 2 March 2009
A section of Expressway M0 already open to traffic will be extended with the help of funding granted by the European Union; in addition, the original path determined earlier may be modified along a short section. The bypass sections of the Expressway carry a heavy volume of traffic; the greatest traffic load is experienced in the southern sector.
The total value of the investment implemented as an integral part of the New Hungary Development Plan exceeds 120 billion HUF. Mr Csaba Molnár Minister for Transport held an official press conference presenting the major project on 25 February.
The proposal for the major project primarily aiming to extend the bypass sections of Expressway M0, eliminate bottlenecks and create safer traffic conditions was approved pursuant to the Government’s decision of 25 February. The application of the major project will shortly be submitted to the European Commission.
Expressway M0 connects the radial motorways heading out of Budapest and pools and divides the traffic running along these. Traffic currently runs along a 2x2-lane road in the southern sector of Expressway M0; accidents occur frequently in this section due to the narrow lanes and lack of emergency lanes. The better quality and higher capacity route that can be developed as an outcome of the investment will be a huge advantage for the residents of Budapest and its agglomeration; moreover, car traffic running through Budapest is expected to decrease, and so is air pollution as a consequence. The economic impacts of the project are not to be underestimated either: in the short run, it means work for the building industry exceeding one hundred billion of Hungarian Forints in value, whilst in the long run, ensuring safer and faster transit traffic and easier access will make the region more attractive and competitive. The project also explicitly contributes to the development of the logistics industry of the region.
The entire southern and also busiest section of Expressway M0 between Biatorbágy and Gyál will be developed into a 2x3-lane road within the framework of the project; a new 20.4-km-long road section will consequently be constructed.
A new, over-6-km-long route will be constructed connecting Highway 51 and Motorway M5; even though the current road will remain open to traffic, it will be called Highway M51 in the future and integrated into the national highway network. The dividing strip and emergency lanes of the new road section will satisfy every demand, hence increasing traffic safety along the road section where heavy traffic is experienced.
The project also includes the construction of a 770-meter-long bridge at Háros and a 500-meter-long bridge at Soroksár spanning the Danube. The noise protection barriers will be extended and their height will be raised due to the higher traffic volume. The re-construction of the so-called Váza Street sewage pumping station, which leads rainwater away from one section of the road and the surrounding residential area, will also be carried out as a part of the M0 investment. The re-construction of the junction at Növény Street along Highway 6, which will equally ensure much better connections between Expressway M0 and the main road network of the 22nd District by constructing a subway passing underneath the Budapest-Székesfehérvár train line, is another component of the development. According to plans, the development is expected to be completed in 2012.