The development of Hungary's expressway network was a long and complex process that took more than six decades. Taking the opening of the first motorway section as a starting point, the network's growth and expansion draw a 60-year historical arc. Such large-scale infrastructure developments naturally required careful planning, which formed the basis for later implementation.
The plan created in 1961, which envisioned a Budapest-centered radial expressway network, was preceded by a much earlier plan from 1941. At that time, Dr. vitéz Boldizsár Vásárhelyi, an engineer and economist, drafted a work entitled “TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS OF AUTOMOBILE TRACKS and the program for the development of Hungarian motor vehicle tracks,” which also introduced the concept of a bypass ring around Budapest. However, in Vásárhelyi's plans, bypassing Budapest and thus solving the internal traffic problems of the capital played a central role, which differs from the focus of the 1961 plans.
The development of expressways in Hungary began early, as in 1942, the expressway leading to Ferihegy Airport was created, which, although not a motorway, was designed without intersections as a preliminary study for future motorway constructions. Boldizsár Vásárhelyi's contribution was also significant in this project. The expressway network envisioned by Vásárhelyi, with approximately 1,770 kilometers of road sections, foreshadowed the modern Hungarian expressway network in many respects. The full ring road concept included in the 1941 plan, which would have completely bypassed Budapest, has not been fully realized even today, as the M0 expressway is not complete. Many similarities can be found between Dr. vitéz Boldizsár Vásárhelyi's ideas and modern developments, suggesting that his articulated vision may have served as a forward-looking basis for identifying the directions of infrastructure development in the coming decades.
Through his plans and work, we can glimpse a future in which certain elements only materialized after a long time, proving the timelessness of the distinguished expert's vision.
