Data Envelopment Analysis for Technological, Environmental and Economic Analysis of Motorway Underpasses

MYŠKOVÁ KATEŘINA, ŽÁK JAROSLAV. 2016. Data Envelopment Analysis for Technological, Environmental and Economic Analysis of Motorway Underpasses. Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis, 64(1): 307–314. Underpasses play an important role in ensuring permeability of line traffi c structures (motorways, expressways) for feral species. There are many studies, articles and methodological guidebooks available describing proper design principles for technical parameters of underpasses and their placement within the terrain. Width, height and length are the main technical parameters aff ecting wildlife migration. Wildlife behaviour and their requirements for the mentioned technical parameters of underpasses also have been examined in depth. In practically all cases, underpass functionality grows with increasing width and height. Of course, this also results in greater construction costs. The objective should therefore be to fi nd a balanced compromise enabling “suffi cient” functionality while maintaining “reasonable” costs. Data envelopment analysis (DEA) provides a way to identify “good” solutions in the sense of “suffi cient” underpass functionality with “reasonable” total costs. Underpass functionality calculations were based on a methodology for calculating migration potentials (Žák and Florian, 2013). Total costs were established according to actual construction work prices in the Czech Republic, including prices for preparations, design, construction, maintenance, and demolition. The results indicate that DEA can be used to fi nd “good” solutions and can be of assistance in particular when planning measures to ensure motorways are permeable to wildlife.