Hungary opens first segment of the M49 expressway, easing traffic near Mátészalka

The first phase of the M49 expressway was completed and opened for traffic on Tuesday at 14:00, providing a new toll-free corridor until its integration into the toll network in 2027. Funded by the state budget, the road aims to reduce through traffic on the existing Route 49 near Mátészalka and surrounding settlements. The project includes a junction with the M3, four new interchanges, twenty-two structures, several roundabouts and a 3.3-kilometre bypass near Győrtelek.

After a lengthy planning period dating back to 2007, the contract with Duna Asfalt was signed in 2022, and work is now progressing toward the Csenger border crossing. Financial revisions removed a planned ten-checkpoint control point, saving an estimated three billion forints, and the full route is slated to link with Romania’s highway network by the second quarter of 2029.