Assessing Development Alternatives on the M7 Expressway

Abstract

The M7 Expressway is a constituting part of the Vth European Transport Corridor in Hungary and for its 64 km long Balatonfenyves - Becsehely section (including Nagykanizsa bypass) different development options were proposed for economic evaluation. The Balatonfenyves - Becsehely section of the existing main road No 7. has been built on a good alignment and its actual traffic volume is relatively low, so together with the option to build a new expressway (on a new track), other, less ambitious development options were also studied and assessed. For the economic evaluation the traditional cost-benefit analysis methodology was used (British COBA10), completed with sensitivity tests. The economic evaluation of the options led to the conclusion, that only the options containing a modest or ambitious reconstruction/upgrading of the existing road are economically efficient under the current assumptions.