ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the implementation of the third case of motorway development projects in Central Eastern Europe, presenting one of the most debated cases in these regions: the M0 ring-road around the Hungarian capital city. In the 1980s Budapest's population exceeded 2 million inhabitants, but the motorways connection with the rest of the country and abroad was very poor. This was not a peculiar trait of Hungary alone, among the socialist countries, but for density of population and location Budapest has historically been the most convenient hub in Central Eastern Europe. The design of the transport project, which falls within the EU TEN-T scheme, is incontestably rational. Budapest is connected to a series of Trans-European corridors both through railway and motorways. In June 1999, thanks to cooperation with the largest Hungarian environmental NGO, Clean Air Group (CAG), a legal suit forced the State Motorway Management Company (SMMC) to suspend works for a few months.
