Clouds float over the Chain Bridge in downtown Budapest, Hungary, on July 23, 2019.(Photo: Xinhua)

 

Clouds float over the Chain Bridge in downtown Budapest, Hungary, on July 23, 2019.(Photo: Xinhua)

 
After being closed down for more than one and a half year for restoration, the Chain Bridge of Budapest has been reopened to traffic here on Friday.

"Even if gloomy and gray, today is a beautiful day as we give the bridge back to traffic," Budapest Mayor Gergely Karacsony said in a short ceremony on the bridge before opening it to the traffic.

For the time being, the new roadway of the bridge is reserved for buses, cyclists, motorcyclists and taxis. Pedestrians will have to wait until the fall of 2023 to walk on the bridge as works on the pavement and the barriers continue until next year.

"The renovation of the Chain Bridge is one of the most complicated and complex investments in Hungary's modern history," Karacsony said, adding that the project investment would be in line with plans and within the budget.

The overhaul cost stands at 26.75 billion forints (70 million U.S. dollars).