With a delay of one and a half years and five billion HUF more expensive than the original, the Chain Bridge can be used again from December. Mayor Gergely Karácsony was happy to announce on Friday that buses, taxis and bicycles can once again take possession of the bridge, which, according to him, was completed according to the original plans. However, he didn't mention motorists, but his words implied that motorists could forget Lánchid once and for all.

The renovation of the Chain Bridge is progressing according to the original schedule and within the budget. This is worth mentioning in itself - Gergely Karácsony announced on his social media page. The mayor mentions twice in his post that the investment was and will continue according to the original plans, while

it is a fact that the renovation started with a huge delay from the start, and moreover, it cost much more money than originally planned.

It is well known that the renovation of the Chain Bridge was fully prepared during István Tarlós's mayoralty, the investment was only supposed to be started by Gergely Karácsony, in comparison, the investment was delayed by almost a year and a half, completely unjustifiably. Even then, the bridge had already deteriorated and was in a critical condition, and the experts clearly classified it as dangerous. If they stick to the original plans, the renovated bridge should have been delivered last year.

As you may remember, the tender issued during István Tarlós' time was rejected by Gergely Karácsony - after his election - at the beginning of 2020, and not long after, the Capital City Government chose the same company as the winner, which also made the most favorable offer in the previous tender.

However, at that time he undertook the bridge renovation for HUF five billion less.

The announcement of the Capital City Municipality said that the Chain Bridge can be renewed under more favorable conditions, because an offer for the investment was received that was HUF 8.5 billion cheaper than the previous one. Instead of the previous HUF 35.3 billion, the cost of entry was HUF 26.8 billion.

However, the two offers cannot be compared, since the previous one included the reconstruction of the Széchenyi István tér tram-underpass, the reserve budget and VAT - this was already pointed out by Dávid Vitézy, the former CEO of the Budapest Development Center and BKK, who in relation to capital costs, he pointed out: the renovation of the Chain Bridge would have cost HUF 21.3 billion gross, so the renovation actually became more expensive by more than HUF 5 billion.

In addition, the timing was not lucky in other respects either:

at the start of the investment in March 2021, Gergely Karácsony started four major renovations in the capital at the same time, which threw Budapest's traffic into complete chaos.

The mayor is now proudly announcing that buses, taxis and bicycles will be able to take possession of the Chain Bridge again from December.

However, motorists are still not allowed to use the bridge, and it looks like they won't be for the foreseeable future. Although Gergely Karácsony does not mention in the post that cars are being banned, it is clear from the context that they have no intention of allowing car traffic back.

He emphasizes, for example, that in the past year and a half, the city's traffic has become accustomed to the absence of the Chain Bridge, despite the fact that the traffic of the neighboring bridges has only barely changed. According to him, the city has already adapted to the renovation, and we are slowly forgetting that the Lánchíd used to be the site of constant downtown traffic jams and congestion.

He also argues that civil organizations and the majority of Budapest residents want a city with better air, a more livable city and greater traffic safety, which is why they decided to reopen the city's first permanent Danube crossing for public transport, taxi drivers and cyclists next month. So it is clear from his words: motorists can most likely forget Lánchid for good.

Pedestrians can't be happy for now either, they won't be able to cross the bridge until next autumn at the earliest.

In addition to the delay, the mayor's post also reveals that the final function of the Chain Bridge is still unclear. According to Gergely Karácsony, he considers it correct to ask the opinion of the people of Budapest about the changes, who will be able to form an opinion after a six-month test period. The final traffic order of the Lánchíd is expected to be decided only in the summer of 2023.

Source: Hirado.hu

Photo: Tibor Illyés