Assessing Development Alternatives on the M7 Expressway

The M7 Expressway is a constituting part of the Vth European Transport Corridor inHungary and for its 64 km long Balatonfenyves - Becsehely section (includingNagykanizsa bypass) different development options were proposed for economicevaluation. The Balatonfenyves - Becsehely section of the existing main roadNo 7.has been built on a good alignment and its actual traffic volume is relatively low, sotogether with the option to build a new expressway (on a new track), other, lessambitious development options were also studied and assessed. For the economicevaluation the traditional cost-benefit analysis methodology was used (BritishCOBA10), completed with sensitivity tests. The economic evaluation of the optionsled to the conclusion, that only the options containing a modest or ambitiousreconstruction/upgrading of the existing road are economically efficient under thecurrent assumptions.