Local services
On the 27th of October 2023, Mayor of Debrecen László Papp held a press conference about developing the city’s priority transport hubs.
László Papp said in his opening remarks: “The most important challenge facing the city today is transport.” As he added, transport development in Debrecen is one of the priorities of the previous urban development programme, the new Főnix Plan, and thus an example on the agenda since 2016. This long-planned programme includes the reconstruction of major intersections, the increase and improvement of the permeability of busy roads, and the construction of roads on the initiative of the population. These improvements are reflected in the budget and agreements with the government.
According to the Mayor, several calls for tenders have been published in recent days, and the development of five major interchanges will be launched in Debrecen in 2024. To keep the city’s transport system operational, these developments will be launched in a phased manner.
The first is the junction of Füredi Road – Szabó Lőrinc Street – Csigekert Street, which is an absolutely necessary development element of the Debrecen transport system, as the Liget housing estate’s access to the city’s main artery makes the renewal of the junction inevitable. Work on this is expected to start in the second quarter of next year.
An important element of this route, which crosses Debrecen in an east-west direction, is the reconstruction of the junction of Árpád Square – Rakovszky Street – Ótemető Street. László Papp pointed out that since the expropriation procedures for the project were not halted last year, it is possible to start construction at this junction during the summer break due to the scheduled implementation.
László Papp said that people living along Böszörményi Road and Vezér Street would be relieved by the linking of the main road No 33 – No 354, which is the northern bypass of the city. This will allow for the construction of a separate level junction, in addition to about 1.5 kilometres of new road. In this context, he said that the widening of the main road to 2×2 lanes will be completed by the end of the decade as part of the Debrecen 2030 programme. The first and most urgent step is the capacity-increasing reconstruction of the intersection of Vámospércsi Road – Hétvezér Street – Budai Nagy Antal Street – Faraktár Street in the city section. In this case, the planning is complicated by the expropriation procedures, and a high-voltage power line will also affect this junction.
The city has also launched a number of other improvements in cooperation with the Ministry of Construction and Transport. At last week’s working group meeting, the parties reviewed the developments in Debrecen, which clearly shows that the main focus of urban development over the next three years will be on transport. László Papp cited as an example the implementation of long-awaited developments such as the construction of the Eastern bypass, which will add 20 kilometres of new road. In addition, improving the permeability of flyovers is a key issue. One of the most urgent tasks in this respect is the reconstruction of the Vágóhíd Street flyover. Careful planning will allow a new bridge element to be built next to the existing one as part of the Debrecen – Nyíregyháza railway development. The old flyover will then be demolished, and a new one will be built to provide 2×2 lanes on Vágóhíd Street.
The mayor concluded by saying that by the end of the decade – the end of the Debrecen 2030 programme – quality and safety will be a long-term guarantee for the city’s transport development. This is thanks to the strong and persistent lobbying carried out by the city administration in recent years, even though the last few years have not been particularly favourable for investment due to the epidemic situation, the war and the effects of inflation. The current situation is that development in Debrecen has continued, and in 2023, the gas pedal will be stepped on, which means a more intensive development process, even more for the benefit of the city’s population.
Source and photo credit: debrecen.hu
