A new seven-kilometre road is being planned to improve access to Keszthely, one of the most important tourist destinations on Hungary’s Lake Balaton. The government is also preparing three cycling infrastructure projects in the region, while dropping plans to extend the M76 expressway towards Sármellék over environmental concerns.
Transport and Investment Minister Dávid Vitézy announced the developments in a Facebook post, explaining that the aim is to make travelling around the western part of Lake Balaton easier and safer for residents and visitors alike.
New road could ease summer congestion
Although Keszthely is the largest town in the region and a major tourism centre, its road connections are currently inadequate, according to the minister.
Traffic arriving from the M76 expressway is diverted onto main road 71 at Fenékpuszta. This creates regular congestion, particularly during the busy summer tourist season.
To address the problem, the government will begin planning a roughly seven-kilometre, single-carriageway road with one lane in each direction. The new route would connect the current terminus of the M76 with main road 75, partly following a new alignment. It would also be designed so that it could be expanded later if traffic demands require it.
The development is intended to provide faster and safer access to Keszthely while reducing traffic on the Fenékpuszta section of main road 71, which is also due for renovation. Plans are also being prepared to upgrade main road 76 between Fenékpuszta and the Sármellék junction.
The new connection could also improve journeys towards Zalaegerszeg.
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What will happen to the unfinished M76?
The announcement also clarified the future of the unfinished M76 expressway, originally intended to improve the road connection between Zalaegerszeg and the M7 motorway.
However, the project was halted in 2022, when the government withdrew the procurement procedure for the section between Fenékpuszta and Zalaegerszeg amid a wider investment freeze. Vitézy said in a comment under his Facebook post that the decision to stop the M76 project towards Zalaegerszeg had been made by János Lázár in 2022.
He also stressed that extending the expressway through the Kis-Balaton area towards Sármellék had been off the agenda for years, including under the previous government. According to the minister, the route would cause unacceptable environmental damage to the protected natural area.
Instead, the current government has decided to connect the existing, unfinished section of the M76 to main road 760 via a new bypass road. This would give the already-built section a practical connection to the surrounding road network and, according to Vitézy, improve access towards Zalaegerszeg as well.
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Three cycling projects also planned
Alongside the road developments, preparations will begin for three cycling infrastructure projects in the western Balaton region:
- A cycling connection between Fenékpuszta and Sármellék;
- Cycling route improvements around the Festetics-major estate;
- Modernisation of the Balaton Bike Circuit between Keszthely and Vonyarcvashegy.
The minister stressed that transport development around Lake Balaton should take all forms of mobility into account. The planned projects are intended to support everyday travel for local residents, improve access to the region and benefit tourism.
For visitors heading to Keszthely and the western shore of Lake Balaton, the proposed road could eventually offer an alternative to one of the area’s current traffic bottlenecks. However, the projects are at the planning stage, and no construction timetable has been announced.