Highways in Hungary


Controlled-access highways in Hungary are dual carriageways, grade separated with controlled-access, designed for high speeds. The legislation amendments defined two types of highways: motorways and expressways.
The main differences are that motorways have emergency lanes and the maximum allowed speed limit is, while expressways may be built without them and the speed limit is.
According to the Állami Autópályakezelő Zrt., the total length of the Hungarian motorway system was 1,491 kilometers in 2018. The construction of the Hungarian motorway system started in 1964 with M7, which finished in 1975 between Budapest and the Lake Balaton. The total length of the system reached 200 km in 1980, 500 km in 1998 and 1000 km in 2007.
The Hungarian motorway network currently comprises 13 motorways, 13 expressways, and some fast roads, of which 20 of them are at least partially operational, and 10 have been completed by the end of 2019.

Highway system

Motorways

The motorways in Hungary, autópálya, are defined as two-lane motorways in each direction, with emergency lane. The speed limit is 130 km/h or 80 mph. Their road signs are white on blue.

M1

The M1 starts from the western part of Budapest, it connects the Hungarian capital with Győr and northwestern part of Hungary, towards Vienna. The motorway is part of the Pan-European Corridor IV, and European route E60, E65 and E75. Average daily traffic is 75,510 near Budapest and 56,421 vehicles/day near Győr. The construction of the motorway began 1964, it took more than thirty years to reach Hegyeshalom and the Austrian border. Its significance has increased since the change of regime in 1990, and today it is the most important western connection in Hungary.
Main junctions:
The M3 starts from north-eastern part of Budapest, it connects the Hungarian capital with Nyíregyháza and northeast part of Hungary, towards Mukachevo. The motorway is part of the Venice-Trieste-Ljubljana-Budapest-Lviv-Kiev line Central-East Europe Corridor V, and European route E71, E79, E573 and E579. This is one of the most important route of the Hungarian motorway and road network, the southwest-north-eastern diagonal main line of traffic forming part of Budapest. Through Ukraine, Eastern Europe, and through Slovakia, creates a highway connection to the countries of north-eastern Europe.
Main junctions:
The M5 starts from Budapest, it connects the Hungarian capital with Szeged and southeast part of Hungary, towards Belgrade.
It was the third motorway in Hungary that reached the border. The motorway is part of the Pan-European Corridor X, and European route E75.
The motorway was built in the 1980s and reached the Serbian border in March 2006.
Main junctions:
The M6 starts from Budapest, it connects the Hungarian capital with Mohács, on the right bank of the Danube in the south, towards Osijek and Sarajevo.
The motorway is part of the European route E73. The motorway is planned to reach the Croatian border by 2022.
Main junctions:
The M1 starts from western part of Budapest, it connects the Hungarian capital with Lake Balaton and southwestern part of Hungary, towards Zagreb. The motorway is part of the Pan-European Corridor V, and European route E71. Average daily traffic is 62,779 near Budapest and 49,273 vehicles/day near Székesfehérvár. The motorway was built in the 1960s and reached the Croatian border in October 2008.
Main junctions:
The expressways in Hungary, autóút are defined as dual carriageways with lower standards than that of a motorway, but with the same restrictions. The speed limit is 110 km/h or 70 mph. Their road signs are white on blue.

Fast roads

The fast roads in Hungary, gyorsút are defined as dual carriageways with lower standards than that of an expressway, but the level intersection is permissible. The speed limit is also 110 km/h or 70 mph.
NumberRouteLength
R11 M1 - Esztergom? km
Existing: 0 km
R49 M3 - Mátészalka - Csenger → 45 km
Existing: 0 km
R67 M7 - Kaposvár46 km
Existing: 33 km
R83Győr - Pápa36 km
Existing: 0 km

.
;2x2 traffic lanes main roads
The e-vignette user charge system applies to motorcycles, passenger cars and their trailers, as well as cargo vehicles with a maximum permissible gross weight of 3.5 tonnes, campers and buses, and their trailers. These vehicles are authorized to use the Hungarian toll speedway network's roads exclusively with pre-purchased –purchased prior to entering a toll speedway section– road use authorization, i.e. e-vignettes. The amount of toll charges depends on the category of the vehicle and the type of the e-vignette. The category of the motor vehicles must be determined according to the official entry that appears in the vehicle registration certificate, based on the maximum permissible gross weight of the motor vehicle and the number of persons it is allowed to transport.
Hungarian system has 2 main type in terms of salary.
1, time-based fee vignettes with a validity of either 10 days, 1 month or 1 year. The following motorway sections are toll-free for cars up to 3.5 t:
Development of the overall length :
Year1964197019751980198519901996200220062010201420162017201820192020
Length in km7851362133023614406389671,2901,3821,4811,4891,5241,6001,662


Hungarian highways network since 1964

Gallery

Opening of new motorways

Construction of new motorways in recent years has been hampered due to corruption scandals and austerity measures as well as owing to new European rules under which old EIA assessments lapsed.
In the coming years, the highway network will be expanded first of all near Budapest and border region of Hungary. Construction of non-radial roads continues to be slow.
HighwayFromToLengthConstruction startedDue to openRemarks-
Debrecen junction with main road 4815.43 km07/201612/2017OPEN-
CsornaFarád4.45 km04/201604/2018bypass of Csorna OPEN-
junction with main road 483Berettyóújfalu 18.7 km07/201612/2018last section of M35
OPEN		-
Berettyóújfalu junction with main road 472.95 km11/201612/2018OPEN-
AndornaktályaEger4 km11/2018OPEN-
NagykőrösTiszakürt31.0 km07/201808/20212nd carriageway-
TiszakürtKondoros62.0 km12/201610/2/2019OPEN-
KondorosBékéscsaba17.6 km03/20181st Q. 20212nd carriageway-
ÜllőAlbertirsa30.0 km01/20171st Q. 2020OPEN-
AlbertirsaCegléd14.4 km01/20171st Q. 20202nd carriageway-
BudapestVác19.6 km04/201709/30/20192nd carriageway-
Andornaktályajunction with M3 motorway14.6 km01/201806/20202nd carriageway-
MiskolcTornyosnémeti56.75 km03/20183rd Q. 2021-
CsornaFertőrákos57,45 km03/20184th Q. 20202nd carriageway-
FenékpusztaM7 motorway8,6 km02/20182nd Q. 20202nd carriageway-
junction with M7 motorwayKaposvár33.2 km06/201709/2019-
junction with main road 47border of Romania26.5 km05/201701/2020
junction with M1 motorwayborder of Slovakia14.5 km02/201812/2019OPEN-
Letenyeborder of Slovenia13.7 km11/201712/2019second lane of motorway-
Körmendborder of Austria29 km12/20172/2021single carriageway-