Economy 30 December 2025, 11:32am

Hungary's newest motorway section opens today, says Construction Minister

Portfolio

Following considerable uncertainty and public exchanges, the previously closed section of the M30 motorway will finally open. János Lázár, Minister for Construction and Transport, announced on Monday via his social media that the road section between Miskolc and Szikszó will reopen to traffic from 6 pm on 30 December.

In his post, the minister sharply criticised the contractor Strabag, stating that the company had tried to 'deceive' the Hungarian state during the restoration works, but the ministry prevented this.

According to Lázár, the Ministry of Construction and Transport (ÉKM) was

able to call in the HUF 2 billion (approximately EUR 5.1 million) bank guarantee provided by Strabag, which ultimately cleared the way for reopening the road to traffic.

'We have learned from working with Strabag, so we are continuously monitoring the condition of the road – we will not compromise on the M30!' the minister stated.

The announcement follows a dispute between the ministry and the Austrian contractor. On 17 December, the ÉKM initially announced that they would reopen the closed section, but shortly afterwards withdrew the announcement. They explained this was necessary because Strabag was unwilling to provide a written guarantee that the previous issue – road subsidence – would not recur within a short period. According to the ministry, the road management company MKIF Zrt. could not open the road, as the safety of road users could only be guaranteed with comprehensive, written contractor liability.

Strabag, however, told Portfolio that the work carried out on the affected section of the M30 at the request of the ÉKM was due to unforeseen groundwater movements, and these works were completed on 16 December 2025. The company stated that the inspection tests found everything in order, and the road section was accepted by the client.

We have provided all documents necessary for opening the road to traffic, along with the latest modelling results and calculations, to the ÉKM,

the company wrote, adding that the decision on opening the road to traffic is now the responsibility of the ministry and the operator.

The current development came after the ministry successfully called in the bank guarantee, which provides financial security in case the problem recurs.

Cover photo: MTI Photo/Zoltán Kocsis