Szabadság híd to be reopened by June

Renovation of Szabadság híd, begun nearly two years ago, will be completed by late May with decorative lighting, mayor Gábor Demszky told reporters on Wednesday.

However, continuing construction of the fourth metro line means that only public transport vehicles will be allowed to cross the bridge from Buda to Pest for months to come, while cars will be allowed to cross the bridge only from Pest to Buda.

The EU contributed Ft 2.5 billion in subsidies to the Ft 5.6 billion project.

The bridge, part of the Unesco World Heritage, was named after Austrian Emperor Ferenc József when it was completed in October 1896. It was blown up by retreating German forces in January 1945, restored by August 20, 1946 and later renamed. It was last renovated in 1980.

Decorative lighting on Erzsébet híd is due to be completed in the second half of the year. Half of the costs are borne by the Japanese government and Ft 130 million by the city.

• Email
• Save to My Caboodle