Motorway M43 Szeged-Makó

The project consists of the construction of 31 km greenfield 2x2 motorway between Szeged and Makó and of a 7.66 km 2x1 trunk road (Makó bypass) under the Hungarian Transport Operational Programme.

The proposed project will form a link in the central and southern part of Pan-European transport corridor IV connecting Budapest with Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey. This section corresponds to the northern priority TEN-T axis No. 7 connecting Patras, Athens, Sofia and Budapest. It is part of the radial development system around Budapest and provides a link from M5 at Szeged to Makó near the border with Romania.

The project’s main negative impacts are the ones normally expected from a greenfield motorway, namely, loss of agriculture and natural land, severance, noise and air pollution.

The positive impacts relate to improved safety and the reduction of noise and air pollution in the localities along the existing N°43 national road.

The M43 motorway section falls under Annex I of the EIA Directive and was subject to a full EIA. The final environmental permit was issued in 1995, modified in 1999 and its validity extended in 2004. The trunk road section falls under Annex II of the EIA Directive and according to the local legislation at the time of application, was screened for not requiring an EIA. However environmental studies have been undertaken and a final permit construction was issued in 2004.

The project implementation is managed by the NIF Zrt. (National Infrastructure Developing Private Co. Ltd.) which is a public company obliged to comply with the European and National Public Procurement legislation. Most of the works and services related to the implementation of the project have been already procured accordingly and the remaining will follow the same procedures.