In response to the events experienced on the Hungarian express roads in recent months, MKIF Hungarian Concession Infrastructure Development Plc. launched a new video series called ‘BE SAFE’ on 23 June 2023.
To our company, the safety of both our employees and road users is of paramount importance, so in the series we draw attention to situations where complying with the rules can prevent many accidents. The video can be viewed here:
We delivered the 13 e-extinguishing lances purchased for the National Directorate General for Disaster Management of the Ministry of Interior, which will be deployed at the fire departments along the busiest express roads.
It turns out more and more often that a vehicle burning in a car fire has some kind of hybrid battery pack. Extinguishing such cars is difficult and time-consuming because it is not enough to extinguish the car itself, the packs also need to be cooled.
The battery packs can reach temperatures of up to 800–1,000 degrees (!) in a fire and can still be glowing even when the car appears to have been extinguished from the outside. These devices are able to break through the battery plate and inject the extinguishing agent into the glowing cells.
This can reduce the time needed to extinguish a hybrid/electric car from long hours to as little as 15-20 minutes. And this allows traffic to flow more quickly. In addition, a possible motorway blockage due to extinguishing can be released faster.
Today’s event is a good example of the excellent cooperation between the disaster management authority and the public road operators. Our companies are committed to preserving road safety – stressed Tamás Kertesi, Deputy CEO of our Company.
We participated in the initiative together with the Hungarian Public Road Nonprofit Plc.
Recently, there were days when it rained more than in 3 days in the past, making the roads very wet and causing many skidding accidents.
But what caused them?
One of the reasons, besides not keeping the following distance and relative speeding, is the frequently mentioned aquaplaning phenomenon, which can cause your car to go out of control.
Rainwater on the pavement can sometimes be slow to drain off the pavement, thus forming a “water film”. If you arrive here at high speed, your car will lose contact with the road surface.
Considering this, we cut grooves in the pavement with special machines. This is the so-called grooving.
Why is this good?
It is good because it allows water to disappear quickly from underneath the tyre as it hits the water film, preventing it from “floating up” and causing an accident, making driving safer.
This is not to mean, however, that where we do this kind of work it will be impossible to skid!
Always drive at reduced speed on wet roads!
Currently, we are performing grooving works on several sections, please watch out for the workers there!
Video: https://fb.watch/owbDfDMqiw/
#mkif #azorsagutja
On Tuesday, 7 November, two of our colleagues, Diána Szigeti and Domonkos Koch, participated as speakers at the HAPA Young Engineers Forum organised for engineers and professionals under 35 years old who have just graduated or graduated a couple of years ago.
During the day, young engineers gave presentations on test methods, engineering solutions, different technologies and pilot projects.
Domonkos held a presentation on the development of the Hungarian motorway network over the past 10 years and future developments, while Diána addressed the use of drones in road operations, which was selected among the top six presentations.
Congratulations to our engineer colleagues!
The Hungarian Concession Infrastructure Development Plc. (MKIF Zrt.) has taken another decision to help traffic on the M1 motorway in view of the renovation of the Budapest-Győr railway line. Between 27 October and 17 November, MKIF Zrt. will have a truck rescue vehicle and a 55-passenger bus on standby at the Bicske Motorway Operation and Maintenance Centre at its own expense, continuously (0-24 hours), in case of need, with immediate departure. A technical assistance vehicle will be on duty during the day on the motorway between Biatorbágy and Tatabánya.
MKIF Zrt. announced on 14 October that during the daytime, there will be no pre-planned works on this section in parallel with the railway renovation. MKIF Hungarian Concession Infrastructure Development Plc. has now also decided that there will be no such works at night between Biatorbágy and Tatabánya during this period.
With these decisions and the reorganisation of the M1 renovation works, our Company aims to help traffic flow and make the running of the replacement buses smoother.
MKIF Zrt. wishes you a safe journey!
Budapest, 26 October 2023
Infostart interview: https://infostart.hu/belfold/2023/10/27/kamionmentovel-es-segelyautoval-a-zavartalan-kozlekedesert-nagy-valtozasok-az-m1-esen
Drive carefully!
#mkif #azorsagutya
In Hungary, installing fixed diversions on express roads at night has never been a fashion before. Engineers at our Company have started to develop a methodology based on Swiss examples, and on Thursday we have started the test period.
Summary videos are available on our Facebook page:
They wrote about us:
#mkif #azorsagutya
As we reported in August, we also work at night on the motorways. What does this mean?
On our busiest sections, we carry out vegetation maintenance, pavement cleaning and whatever else we can do during the night hours, when there is much less traffic.
For the latest information on night work, please visit the www.utinform.hu website.
Please prepare for possible speed limitations around the night work locations! We kindly ask everyone to drive with extra care along the moving diversions!
And we do not stop there. We plan to carry out new types of work at night. These require more planning than ever before. We will report on these soon!
After the renovation of the buildings of the rest stops, we have also started to clean up the green areas. So far this year we have removed more than 8 tonnes of illegally dumped litter. Unfortunately, the eradication of unauthorised litter dumps is an ongoing task, as many people do not use the bins, often bringing their waste from home to the rest area.
New, large (1,500 litre) selective waste containers were installed in 45 rest stops from 1 September, so we now collect waste in around half a thousand containers in 123 rest stops across the country. At the new sites, waste is collected every two weeks, and at the older “waste islands”, depending on the speed of filling up, between 4 and 15 times a year. The old bins are intended to collect metal, glass, PET and paper, while those installed in the new locations are used to collect paper and PET.
Many people are not aware of the large municipal waste bins sunk into the ground at rest stops (but only the road operator or the contractor responsible for cleaning the rest stop can put the bagged waste from the small bins into them, together with the litter bags. Rest stop bins are used to collect waste from the travellers).
The frequency of emptying the large collection containers buried in the ground varies between 2 and 12 times per rest stop per month, depending on how quickly they fill up. To prevent further illegal “waste hills”, we also placed half a thousand prohibition signs across the country. The renewal of the green, outdoor environment of the rest stops does not stop there. More details will follow later in the day.
Soon it will be possible to cross the Letenye border crossing point to Croatia without speed limit, and trucks will soon be able to use the border crossing point
Since 12 April, we have been demolishing the buildings at the Hungarian-Croatian border crossing point on the M7 motorway at Letenye. Demolition work is expected to be completed this week.
Croatia joined the Schengen area on 1 January 2023, so border controls on the M7 motorway at Letenye have been abolished. The function and justification of the “control buildings” there have also become obsolete. The Hungarian Concession Infrastructure Development Plc. (MKIF Zrt.) has repeatedly consulted with the border police, the Croatian motorway operator and the Hungarian National Asset Management Inc. on the need to ensure unobstructed, continuous, non-stop passage on the motorway. This can only be achieved by completely removing the barriers on the main track and demolishing the buildings next to it.
Demolition has been taking place in several phases since mid-April. In the former bus lanes, in agreement with the police, the protective roof has been retained, as well as a control booth, allowing law enforcement agencies to carry out so-called “pick-out” checks as necessary. On the main track, we have removed all obstacles that could restrict traffic in any way. In its final state, no speed limits are planned and the motorway will also be usable for heavy goods traffic. The demolition work is expected to be completed this week, and all that remains is to install the final guardrails, diversion elements and paint the pavement signs.
Although the rainy weather is hampering our work, we will also dismantle the temporary diversion once it is finished. The final traffic markings will then be put in place, including the lifting of the freight restriction and its pre-signalling on the surrounding road sections not affected by the demolition.
After the end of the tourist season, the border crossing point will also be levelled up. As part of this project, the entire width of the motorway will be renovated around the demolished border crossing point.
From Friday, we will operate from our newly built and inaugurated Péteri Operation and Maintenance Centre the almost 99 km long section of the M4 motorway, which will connect Budapest with the A3 motorway in northern Transylvania in the future. This brings to 20 the total number of operation and maintenance centres throughout the country that are responsible for the maintenance of the 1,237 km of the expressway network operated by MKIF Zrt.
The Péteri Operation and Maintenance Centre operates 17 junctions, five pairs of rest stops and 82 structures – the most significant of which is the new 758 metre long Szapáry (Tisza) Bridge. Dispatchers are supported by 39 cameras, 12 road meteorological stations, 33 variable message signs (VMS) and 19 traffic counting devices. The safe and high quality management of the motorway is ensured by 42 people in the operation and maintenance centre.
On the nearly 30,000 square metre site, there are, among other things:
The building is heated and cooled by an environmentally friendly heat pump system. Solar panels have also been installed on the roof.
To monitor and control the mechanical and electrical equipment of the buildings and the utility systems, i.e. to facilitate operation, we have built a complete mechanical automation and building management system.
Our vehicle fleet is also constantly growing. Thanks to this, 22 new VW Crafter light trucks were delivered to the national operation and maintenance centres in Péteri on Friday. These flatbed vehicles can transport both people and small machines and equipment. They are a useful help to our colleagues on most road jobs: mowing, embankment repair, barrier repair, road defect repair or clearing accident sites.
MKIF Zrt. wishes you a safe journey!