Városliget Zrt. Has announced a tender for the reconstruction of the busy Kós Károly promenade, which crosses Városliget, so that instead of today's asphalted highway, this crankshaft will be turned back into a real park promenade, writes Dávid Vitézy, president of the Budapest Development Center (BFK).

"For more than sixty years, the decision was made to drive the introductory section of the M3 motorway through the middle of Városliget, so the traffic on the Kós Károly promenade, which bisects the historical park of Budapest, is the same today as on the Petőfi bridge," Vitézy points out.

Since the beginning of last year, based on the decision of the Budapest Public Development Council and the government, the preparation of transport developments for the car decontamination of Városliget has been underway. Part of this is that BFK is preparing a plan for a new bridge over the Szegedi street over Rákosrendező, a new P + R car park with a capacity of 1,500 cars at Mexikói street, and many smaller traffic engineering interventions around Városliget.

Development affecting Városliget (Source: Dávid Vitézy / Facebook)

The planning of the additional investments included in the agreement (P + R parking garages, Szegedi street bridge, etc.) started first, now these are followed by the complete redesign of the Kós Károly promenade, the transformation of it from a motorway into a promenade. As the axis will be part of the park, the plans will be prepared by Városliget Zrt. In cooperation with the Budapest Development Center.

Vitézy summed up what works will lead to the car decontamination of Városliget. Thus, the Kós Károly promenade and the Zoo Boulevard will be closed from car traffic, but the traffic restrictions will not affect trolleybuses. The iconic historic square of the city, the Heroes' Square in front of both the Art Gallery and the Museum of Fine Arts, will be completely car-free. Surface parking in the City Park will be abolished (except for a short section of the Zoo Boulevard).

The Kós Károly promenade (Source: Dávid Vitézy / Facebook)

For car traffic coming from the M3 motorway, a new P + R car park with a total of 1,500 spaces can be built at the junction of the M3 motorway entrance - Hungária ring - Mexikói street, at the Small Underground Terminal on Mexikói street. The Mexican road P + R parking garages on the northern border of the grove will reduce both through and destination traffic.

In addition, in 2021, BFK started the design of a new road and tram overpass on the line of King Louis the Great Road and Szegedi Road, above the Vác railway line and Rákosrendező, which indirectly contributes to the traffic calming of Városliget by relieving the load on Hungária Boulevard.

Source: Dávid Vitézy / Facebook

Cover photo: Instead of today's asphalt road, there will be a real park promenade on the Kós Károly promenade (Photo: Dávid Vitézy / Facebook)