THE IMPACT OF AN A-4 MOTORWAY SECTION UNDER CONSTRUCTION BETWEEN THE TOWNS OF BRZESKO AND TARNOW ON ARABLE LAND

Stanisław Bacior, Stanisław Harasimowicz, Urszula Litwin
Department of Geodesical Arrangement of Rural Settlements, Agricultural University of Cracow, Poland

ABSTRACT

The impact of a motorway under construction on arable lands was assessed on an approximately 30 km long section of the planned ‘A-4’ motorway located between the two towns: Brzesko and Tarnów. The motorway section in question runs across 15 villages. In the villages investigated, the drop in the market value of lands resulting from the motorway project, and expressed per one kilometre of this motorway, varies from 300 to 3.000 crop units per 1 km; it depends mainly on the quality of arable lands and frequency of their occurrence. In cases where the motorway runs exclusively across arable lands, this drop equals a value of a strip of lost land the width of which ranges from 165 to 187 m, and this width exceeds the average motorway width by almost twice. The percentage rate (distribution) of individual problems on the total impact of motorway on arable lands, as studied herein, is as follows: repurchase and adoption of lands for the motorway route: 40 do 60%; quality reduction of lands in the vicinity of the motorway: 20 do 40%; spatial arrangement deterioration of fields and plots: 15 to 20%; and distance increase in access to arable lands: 1 to 5%.

Key words: motorway, arable lands, spatial arrangement of agricultural farm, arable land quality..

INTRODUCTION

Poland is a country in which the network of roads, as well as of highways and motorways good quality is poor. The total length of existing motorways is less than 500 km and is diminutive if compared to the length of motorways in Western European countries. The total length as indicated above is less than 1% of the total lengths of motorways in the European Union whereas in the countries of sizes similar to Poland, for example in Spain, it is almost 17% [3]. However, growing demands of the developing motor vehicle traffic is forcing Poland to modernize its road network and to construct motorways. This trend will continue, and is anticipated to last as long as the motor vehicle traffic increases during the decades to come.

Competent institutions in Poland developed a special plan of the road and motorway modernization and extension plan. Under this plan, during the next 20 year, 3 main motorways giving 2,000 km in total (Fig. 1) will be constructed. The accomplishment of this plan depends, however, on the investment potential of the Polish state and of other contributors.

Constructing a motorway is a critical investment project and has various, both positive and negative, effects on the close and distant environs of the motorway. The positive effect, usually connected with the facilitation of road transport and its consequences, has a large-scale character, or it refers to particular places, for example, to motorway junctions [7, 9]. Terrains directly adjacent to motorways are, as a rule, exposed to their negative impact. In particular, farms laying in their vicinity, including arable lands comprised, are strongly and negatively effected since the motorways generally run across rural areas.

The effect of a motorway on arable land, constituting the objective of this paper, relates to the negative impact of a motorway on its environs. When considering motorway development applications, local indicators and requirements must be taken into account, along with a study on the negative impacts including the effect of motorway on arable lands in the vicinity of proposed routes. Motorway routes should be planned so as to minimize the negative impact on their environs. In this paper, the authors present a method for assessing the impact of motorways on arable lands. A key feature of this method is its low labour consumption, thus, it can be applied not only to draw up a study on the motorway impact, but also to select a proper variant of a motorway section under design.

The studied section of the motorway A–4 between Brzesko and Tarnów runs through two powiats of Brzesko and Tarnów, four gminas (Fig. 2). It is situated in the most urbanized region of the Voivodship of Małopolska. This region is characterized by the highest population density of rural areas in Poland, i.e. 119 people per square meter. In small, poorly mechanized, 3 ha agricultural farms, there are great workforce reserves equalling 63 persons/100 ha of AL (Arable Land). Despite the soils of mediocre quality in this region, an intense, multi-lateral agricultural production has developed; it includes growing of wheat, barley, vegetables and fruit, fruit trees, decorative plant nurseries, hog-raising, poultry farming, dairy and beef cattle-breeding [19].

METHOD AND SCOPE OF INVESTIGATIONS

The unfavourable impact of a motorway on nearby agricultural farms can be assessed using recognized methods for assessing the value of arable lands [12, 6, 17, 8]. Yet, for this purpose, it is necessary to accurately analyse individual farms, and any precise analysis involves a good amount of effort. It seems indispensable to identify changes in the value of single plots and farms in order to correctly determine the level of compensation for damages resulting from the construction of motorway. Changes should be identified after the detailed design of the motorway is accomplished or even after the planned motorway is finally constructed. Simplified methods of assessment can be applied whilst developing the initial design of motorway, or estimating the variants of its route, as they help clarifying unfavourable effects of the motorway on arable lands with less amount of effort, and with the required accuracy of assessments maintained.

Three main ranges of the motorway’s total impact on arable lands can be distinguished [16, 7, 8]:

1. Owners of farms lose their arable lands because they are taken over for the building site of a motorway and for the motorway route;

2. Production potential (quality) of arable lands situated in the vicinity of a motorway is reduced as a result of: a) limited possibilities of using soils poisoned by exhaust gases from motor vehicles; b) lower plant crop yield generated by changes in underground water conditions near the excavations and/or embankments;

3. Deterioration of the spatial arrangement of farms; this effect results from: a) the reduced areas of farms; b) the increased distance of access to lands, which are cut off from rural settlements by motorway’s lanes; c) small and oddly shaped plots/fields, which are crossed by those motorway’s lanes.

This simplified method of assessing the impact of motorways under construction on arable land enables the determination of losses resulting from all the impact problems as indicated above. A basis for the determination of losses studied is the analysis of variations in land use, soil quality classes, and in the layout (positions) of agricultural roads along the axis of the designed motorway. Additionally, a measure of the multilateral impact of motorway on arable lands is assumed; this measure is a specific variant of lands value. The specificity of this value variant lies in the fact that while determining it, only the diversity of the land usefulness to agricultural production is assessed. The specific land value variant is actually a valuation measure of the land usefulness to agricultural production. Therefore, the assumed measure of motorway impact is neither a market value for land nor its repurchase price. The estimated land value will be close to its market value only in typical agricultural regions where the key parameter to mould the land price is production potential of such land. The method developed by the authors is simplified; consequently, its labour consumption is lower, and it can be applied to estimate variants of the motorway route. The calculation procedure employed to determine the impact of a motorway on arable lands has been computerized using software in Visual Basic language. This software employs calculation spreadsheets of Microsoft Excel.

There are three main assessment phases to be followed for the purpose of finally assessing the results of a motorway’s impact on arable lands:

• assessing the initial parameters obtained from the analysis of the motorway route as shown on the map of land records;

• determining the changeability of those characteristics of lands (laying within the motorway route and in the zone of its impact), which decide the value of lands. The characteristics in question refer to: area and quality of lands taken over for the motorway project and affected by the motorway, increase in distance to access to lands, and deterioration in the spatial arrangement of plots;

• determining the scale of land value reduction resulting from the motorway project.

Determining the initial parameters to be applied while assessing the impact of the motorway on arable lands

In order to determine of initial parameters, it is necessary to draw the axis of the design motorway on the map of land registers. Fragment of this map is presented including the motorway axis and its section running through the village of Szczepanów (Fig. 3).

Along the motorway axis, those points are to be clearly marked and numbered where changes in the soils classification and/or in the type of land use occur. Very important are points where the motorway axis crosses the access roads to lands; they must be studied in the first place. All the access roads existing must be taken into account, including the ones, which are classified as arable lands and which are important only for the local transport. The analysis must be conducted very orderly and accurately, thus, it is recommended to take whole kilometres into the investigation, exactly as they are marked along the motorway route. This manoeuvre will, for certain, facilitate the analysis.

Area of lands and quality of their soils, which are taken over for the motorway project, and situated within the reach of the motorway impact

Two factors: total area of a strip with lands/soils taken over for the motorway construction, and areas of each individual type of arable lands in this strip plus soils quality class as contained in this strip are usually determined by measuring their lengths and widths directly on the map of a given motorway route’s section. The sizes of those lands fragments can be assessed using lengths of sections, which cross the arable lands marked, and soils belonging to a given soils quality class as determined. The lengths of the sections in question are measured along the motorway axis, and, next entered in Fig. 3.

It is possible to relatively accurately determine the area of lands taken over for the motorway project. This area equals a sum of the multiplication products: lengths of sections measured along the motorway axis are multiplied by a width of the motorway covered by this particular section. Furthermore, it is possible to assess an approximate area of arable lands and to determine their soils quality classes. The area in question is a sum of the multiplication products; there are multiplied lengths of sections crossing a given arable land or soils contained in a particular soils quality class, and a motorway width covered by the given motorway section.

The length of motorway sections running through particular arable lands with soils belonging to the marked soils quality classes should be measured since this parameter allows for the precise determination of the areas of arable lands with soils quality classes marked, i.e. of lands situated within a range of ten to twenty meters from the main measurement line assumed. This measurement is equivalent to the detailed determination of the quality structure of arable lands covering 10% to 20% of the motorway fragment. The analysis of such a large sample seems to be sufficient for the purpose of assessing the quality of soils within the strip of lands, which must be taken over for the motorway, and, especially as the variation of this structure is not high with regard to lands laying within a distance of the maximum 100 m from the motorway axis. The accuracy of assessing the area of arable lands (which are taken-over) and quality classes of their soils (provided it is conducted pursuant to the principles as pointed out in this paper) depends on the length of the motorway section under analysis. In the cases, the length of the said motorway section exceeds two kilometres, i.e. its length is close to the length of an average village (in Poland), the accuracy of assessing the discussed factors of the area does not exceed several per cent [1, 2].

Information on the variation of soils quality alongside the motorway axis makes it possible to assess the quality of soils within the impact zone of the motorway, i.e. in a terrain strip bordering on the motorway. The district with soils exposed to the detrimental influence of vehicles exhaust gases consists of two, 100 m wide strips of a terrain adjacent to the motorway. The strips are on the both sides of the motorway. The strip width is smaller, it is only 50m, when protective green belts are designed [4, 16]. It is possible to access the area of arable lands with soils classified within the given soils quality class, which are within the zone of detrimental impact of the motorway. The area being assessed is a multiplication product of two parameters: a width of this strip and a sum of lengths of motorway sections crossing the land with soils classified within the soils quality class concerned; of course, the lengths of the sections are measured along the motorway axis. Naturally, the accuracy of this assessment will be lower than the accuracy of assessments referring to the motorway section. But this accuracy can be deemed sufficient with regard to predictions about the reduction of soils quality resulting from the close distance to the road, especially as those predictions contain substantial errors.

Increased access to lands

The motorway crosses the local road system and causes significant disturbances in accessing the lands. To access a specific land, people have to detour (make a roundabout way) using flies-over situated within the major local roads.

Two parameters of each local road crossed by the motorway are necessary to determine the increase in the agricultural transport volume resulting from constructing the motorway. They are: the area of lands the access to which runs through the motorway; and the increase in the length of distance to access this particular land.

The most complicated task seems to be the determination of sizes of a specific district (with arable lands) to which the access road must cross the motorway. Such sizes have to be identified for all the roads crossing the motorway and having no flies-over. The definition of such a district reads: it is a fragment (strip) of a gathering basin belonging to a given road in question. This fragment is adjacent to a motorway section and has a definite width. The width of the fragment (strip) of the gathering basin has to be assessed, and the width of the whole specific gathering basin can be calculated basing on the layout of roads, which will be covered by the motorway axis under construction. Actually, the fragment under consideration is not always compact, and sometimes, it is situated on the both sides of the motorway. This fact does not essentially influence changes in the mean distance to access arable lands since the perpendicular crossings of the motorway do not significantly impact the length of the distance to access arable lands.

The length of this fragment (strip) of the gathering basin, to which the access is across the motorway, ranges between 100 to 600 m [10]. This length equals, in fact, the width of the land strip to which the access is across the motorway. To correctly assess this length, it is indispensable to know, to some extent, the organizational principles of the agricultural transport. While assessing this length, the results of analyzing the following features should be employed: layout of settlements, arrangement of agricultural roads & borders of their gathering basins, and the borders routes of villages and arable lands.

When a built-up zone is nearby the motorway, the motorway must be crossed to access the district of arable lands, and, in this case, the area of such district is large. Usually, it is assumed that arable lands are situated maximum 1 km to 1.5 km away from the settlements [11]. With the given width of motorway section, and the required distance between agricultural homesteads and a lane of carriageway, it is possible to assess the largest width of arable lands to which the access crosses the motorway within a range from 600 to 700 m.

Where built-up zones are situated far away from the motorway, and their distances to the motorway are large and equal, there are only a few access roads, which cross the motorway. This situation is usually when the motorway axis runs close to the borders between villages. Then, the ‘crossing’ access roads refer to farmers who have arable lands (fields) in one village and homesteads in the next village. For the purpose of this paper, such farmers are defined “two-village farmers”. In this case, the assessed width of this particular land strip is about 100 m.

Widths of lands strips with access roads crossing the motorway are assessed for all the roads crossed by the motorway and without flies-over. For all the roads crossed by the motorway, it is accessed the increase in the distance to access arable lands across the motorway. It is assessed using the distance to the nearest fly-over.

Deterioration in the spatial arrangement of plots

The motorway crosses the existing system of plots, and, therefore, usually causes the deterioration in their spatial arrangement. The plots crossed by the motorway are, as a rule, shorter and their areas are smaller. In order to assess the degree of deterioration in the spatial arrangement of plots, a number of plots with changed spatial arrangement are identified, as well as a mean extent range of such change. The assessment method as suggested herein comprises a number of plots crossed by the motorway axis, their average length & width.

Generally, borders of any motorway section divide land plots into two parts. It is very rare when a land plot is divided into three parts; it happens when the lengths of such plots evidently exceed the width of the motorway section. In both cases, 2 new plots are formed, and, of course, their sizes are smaller. Additionally, the latter statement refers to a situation when the longer side of a plot runs parallel to the motorway axis. As the consequence of the motorway section crossing and dividing the system of lands, a number of newly formed plots are doubled (almost) if compared to the number of plots crossed by the motorway axis.

The extent of changes in the spatial arrangement of plots crossed by the motorway depends on the plot lengths relating to the width of motorway section. In case the plots are divided into two pieces, i.e. the lengths of those plots do not evidently exceed the motorway width, it is possible to assume that the lengths of those plots and their areas are reduced by half (50%) after the motorway divides them into two pieces. When the plots are divided into three pieces, i.e. the lengths of those plots evidently exceed the motorway width, then, it can be estimated the lengths of plots crossed and divided equal the half of their initial length minus the motorway width.

Determining the reduced value of arable lands situated within the zone of the motorway impact

Upon the accomplishment of the motorway project, the value of arable lands is reduced. The reduction is caused directly by changes in those parameters of arable lands, which have a decisive effect on their usefulness to agricultural production. A difference between the initial value of arable lands before the motorway is constructed and after it, is a factor identifying the reduction of the lands value [10]. A method for determining the values of arable lands, as applied by the authors, involves the impact of soils qualities on their agricultural usefulness, and the potentiality of making profits when farming those lands. [1, 8]. Moreover, this method comprises the influence of the major features of the spatial arrangement of plots on the value of lands. The major features are: area and length, distance between the land and settlement, gradient of roads, quality of roads, farm size, and location of homestead with relation to the village centre. The impact of the soils quality on their value is determined according to the IUNiG (Institute of Farming, Fertilization and Soil Science) point ascription (100 point scale). A 1 km increase km in the distance between a land and settlements results in the reduction of the land value by 5 to 10% depending on the quality of lands and the method of their use. Changes in the basic parameters of the spatial arrangement of a plot, for example in its area and length, can change the plot value by up to 30%. The plot values as calculated using this method refer only to the plot usefulness to agricultural production. They do not include other advantages of a plot, such as a low distance between the plot and the settlement centre. The plot values as calculated using this method, and the market value of plots can be convergent only in the typical agricultural regions. In the urbanized regions, the plot values as calculated using this method should be deemed only as a sort of valuated parameters characterizing the agricultural usefulness of the lands under investigation.

In order to determine a unit value of land (i.e. a value of 1 ha land), a complete specification of its parameters and qualities is required; the parameters and qualities required relate to the plot and the homestead (farm) by which the plot is used and cultivated. The plot features included are as follows: type of arable land comprised by the plot, areas of soils belonging to a particular soils quality class, profile of the plot borders on a wood, length, width, gradient, distance between the plot and the settlement, and difference between the altitude of the homestead and the plot. The homestead features included comprise: area of the homestead, distance between the homestead and the village centre, as well as the quality of accessing the village centre from the plot (in the sense whether or not this access is convenient). The unit value of lands is determined for each regular field situated within the motorway route before the motorway is constructed; also, the unit value of lands includes one of the four problems of the motorway impact.

The major parameters of lands before the motorway is constructed are entered and length of the field, and areas of individual fields with soils belonging to a given soils quality class. All the remaining features are assessed on the basis of maps with land records, with regard to the average level of these parameters appearing typical for a given village. Imprecise data obtained from assessing these parameters are of no significant effect on the profitability reduction being evaluated since the profitability depends mainly on the extent of changes in these parameters, and not on their real magnitude. For example: the reduction of the lands value resulting from the increase in the distance to access them does not depend on the distance between a given land and a settlement; it depends on changes in this distance. However, for the assessment method (for valuating the values of arable lands) being disclosed in this paper, it is indispensable to assume initial levels of these parameters. Values of lands are valuated with regard to an average price of 1 ha of arable lands in this region.

The values of arable lands before the motorway is constructed are determined for the average plot located on croplands and green lands. An average value of 1 ha of arable lands before the motorway is constructed is determined basing on two factors: ratio of the area of croplands to the area of grasslands, which are located within the district crossed by the motorway section, as well as on values of plots used and cultivated in different ways.

Next, the lands are taken into the assessment, which are located within the zone affected by the motorway, and which have an increased distance to be accessed (owing to the motorway) plus a deteriorated spatial arrangement. For such lands, average values of 1 ha are determined following the same procedure and principles. Features of these plots are determined by modifying their initial characteristics stated before the motorway is constructed. Plots, which are in the district under the impact of the motorway, show a decreased soils quality. The decrease stated ranges from 20 to 40% depending on the occurrence of protective green belts. With regard to plots with a longer distance to access, the assessed increase in the distance is added to the distance between them and the settlements. Furthermore, the difference in the altitude between the field and the homesteads is increased because there is a fly-over, and in order to access the field, farmers must use this fly-over. As to plots showing a deteriorated spatial arrangement, they have also both the area and the length decreased by half.

Automation of the calculation process

The method for assessing the impact of motorway as disclosed herein comprises a considerable amount of calculations. A traditional method applied to make all the necessary calculations would be very laborious and time consuming, and the final results could have errors caused by human imperfectness. Thus, the calculation process must be automated in order to facilitate and speed up the procedure. For this purpose, a Microsoft Excel 2000 spreadsheet was applied. It is easily obtainable, thus, in general use. The Visual Basic language was used to write macros applied to automate the calculation procedures.

The procedure of assessing the motorway impact on arable lands consists in filling the Tables. All the remaining calculations have been automated including Tables with factors and indicators presenting the impact of the motorway in individual villages or the impact of motorway sections between two subsequent flies-over.

ROUTE OF THE MOTORWAY SECTION UNDER INVESTIGATION

A section of the designed motorway A-4 between Brzesko and Tarnów runs nearby the border on two physical & geographic sub-provinces: Podkarpacie Intermontane Basin (North Podkarpacie) and Outer Western Carpathians (Zewnętrzne Karpaty Zachodnie) [Kondracki 2000]. It runs almost latitudinally. The section is situated in the southern part of the Sandomierska Basin (Kotlina Sandomierska), close to the point where the Basin contacts the Western Carpathian Foothills (Zachodnie Pogórze Karpackie) and Central Beskidy Foothills (Pogórze Œrodkowobeskidzkie); it runs mainly through southern regions of the Bocheńskie Piedmont (Podgórze Bocheńskie), along its border on the Wiœnickie Piedmont (Pogórze Wiœnickie).

The motorway section under investigation crosses a large and compact forest complex in the region of the village Łętowice. The length of it is about 2.5 km. Within the entire region around the designed motorway A-4, starting from the junction Brzesko and ending by the village Łętowice, there are relatively many small- and middle-sized terrains with woods. It means that on these terrains, there are soils of a low arable quality. The eastern end fragment of the motorway section under investigation runs through a region with almost no forests at all. The frequency and intensity of forest occurrence in a given region is closely connected with the quality of soils in this region, and with their usefulness to agricultural production. The best quality soils, classified as a class of very good wheat soils, are in a region of the designed motorway section running near Tarnów, in the valley of Dunajec River (the villages of Bobrowniki Małe, Bobrowniki Wielkie, Gosławice, Rudka, and Wierzchosławice). The soils in question are within the alluvial (dejection) cone of alluvia typical for river valleys and brought by Dunajec River. The alluvia soils show a diverse mechanic composition [18]. Lands with good wheat soils are in larger regions, mainly in the central part of the motorway section studied, in the vicinity of two villages: Wołkowice and Bielcza. These soils show a diverse mechanic composition, too. But poor soils prevail in this region; they are classified to classes of good and poor rye complexes. They are in the middle and western part of lands adjacent to the motorway section, near the villages: Jasień, Mokrzyska, Szczepanów, Sterkowiec, Biadoliny Szlacheckie and Biadoliny Radłowskie, and Łętowice.

The motorway section studied runs through a middle zone of the Province of Małopolska. This zone extends latitudinaly; it is the highest urbanized, economic-production zone in the whole Province [19]. Its population density of 119 people/km² is the highest among all rural regions. Agricultural farms in this zone are highly fragmented, thus, the majority of the working age population have two occupations. Only 16% people inhabiting agricultural farms earn their living from farming only (they are farmers and do not work in other industries). The average size of agricultural farms is about 3 ha in communities crossed by the motorway section under investigation; it is typical for the entire Province of Małopolska, and smaller by more than twice comparing with other regions in Poland. Farms of areas not exceeding 5 ha comprise 85 to 90% of the total area covered by agricultural farms. A farm of area exceeding 15 ha can be considered the most suitable farm in this particular region; however, only those farms possess not more than 0.2% of lands in this region.

The length of the motorway section studied is 29.317 km within the borders of one village, its average length is usually 1.954 km. Lengths of motorway’s subsections created in the way as indicated above, are even; they range from 2.5 to 3 km.

Totally, 481 characteristic points are selected and marked along the planned motorway section between Brzesko and Tarnów. These points are applied to perform calculations and analyses. The points are, as a rule, situated at borders on arable lands and soils belonging to particular soils quality classes. Distances between points marked range from a few metres to 200 m, and, in some cases, even to 800 m (the latter case refers to larger wooded regions; no profile has been made for this districts). An average distance between the points is about 60 m. In individual villages, there are 30-60 characteristic points that make up a profile of the motorway’s route in this place. The number of such characteristic points depends both on the length of the motorway section under consideration, and the diversity of the terrain crossed by the motorway axis.

A correctly planned motorway route should go along a village border and be as far as possible away from larger settlements (clusters of houses). A motorway route designed in this way makes it possible to reduce the increase in agricultural transport caused by the fact that fields (lands) are cut off from settlements. It also balances (minimizes) motor traffic nuisance increased by the motorway project to local people.

In our case, the motorway section route meets the above requirements to a relatively high degree (Fig. 2). Except for a few cases, the designed motorway route runs near to village borders. Among the villages comprised by this study, Szczepanów is the only one where the motorway runs close to the village centre, and, thus, cuts a large and compact forest complex off from settlements. However, the impact of the motorway on the increase in agricultural transport is negligible since the area cut off is a forest. A similar situation is in the village Łętowice: the motorway divides a part of the village with forests into two blocks.

The motorway section investigated runs across densely populated and highly urbanized terrains. Here, there is a compact and highly dense housing with clear-cut centres of varying sizes (Biadoliny Radłowskie, Wierzchosławice, Gosławice, and Rudka) or with houses/homesteads located along the roads, which connect individual villages (Szczepanów, Sterkowiec, Wołkowice, Bielcza, and Biadoliny Szlacheckie). Often, compact built-up zones along roads continuously run from one village to the next one (Brzesko – Mokrzyska, Sterkowiec – Wołkowice, and Wierzchosławice – Ostrów).

The planned motorway route bypasses major groups of houses (settlement centres) in villages it goes through, and the distance between the route and such a group of houses is as big as possible. Thus, the route is close to borders of the neighbouring villages. Additionally, it bypasses larger zones with compact built-up zones, and everywhere where it is impossible, it crosses them where the housing density is the lowest.

The A-4 motorway section investigated runs across 87 roads, and, among them, 27 have flies-over. An average length between roads crossed by the motorway is 345 m. An average distance between flies-over is 1173 m. Basing on distances between the roads, the density of agricultural roads can be assessed; it is approximately 30 m/ha.

The distance between flies-over constitutes one of the major initial parameters used to assess the motorway impact on the increase in agricultural transport. It equals the highest possible increase in the distance between settlements and lands/fields as expected to probable occur when the motorway is accomplished. The half of this distance is an assessed value of average increase in the distance between lands/fields cut off by a motorway section from the settlements. A large number of flies-over and a small distance between them provide evidence that the motorway has a low impact on accesses to lands/fields. A relatively diminutive distance between the flies-over on the motorway section (it, often, does not exceed one (1) km), allows to expect a rather slight impact of it on agricultural transport in this district, especially as those flies-over are to be constructed on all the roads with a higher traffic density level, i.e. on roads linking individual localities and receiving transport from larger agricultural complexes.

In the villages under this study, the motorway crosses 3 to 10 roads with no flies-over. An average distance between roads crossed by the motorway in the villages in question ranges between 250 to 500 m. In the villages laying in a valley of Dunajec River (Wierzchosławice, Gosławice, Rudka, Bobrowniki Małe, and Bobrowniki Duże), there are more roads of this type (6-7 roads), and the distances between them are smaller. Moreover, their fields have soils of a better quality, and there is less forests. In the villages in the initial part by the motorway section under study, there are significantly fewer roads without flies-over, and their fields comprise relatively poorer soils; also, from the point of view of the land use structure, the percentage rate of forests and green lands is higher (Jasień, Mokrzyska, Sterkowiec, and Szczepanów).

For the purpose of assessing the impact of this motorway section on arable lands, it is assumed that the width of this section is approximately similar to the maximal length, and it equals 70 m with no protective green belts included. It is also assumed that protective green belts are 30m wide. The total width of this motorway section will range between 70 and 130m depending on protective green belts present on its one or two sides. With such assumptions, it is possible to properly assess relatively high (maximal) costs of repurchasing lands for the wide motorway section, and the anticipated costs can be reduced according to the true width of this section.

An average width of this section is 87 m, and this figure proves that protective green belts can be arranged on one side of the motorway, in the middle of the section only. Protective green belts are not arranged in typical agricultural terrains with good soils and with no larger afforested regions. Such regions are present in the Dunajec River’s valley (villages: Wierzchosławice, Gosławice, Rudka, and Bobrowniki), as well as in the villages of Wołkowice and Bielcza. A width of the motorway crossing them slightly exeeds 70 m. In the village of Jasień, the number of protective green belts is the highest; they spread along the entire motorway section on its both sides. In Jasień, the motorway usually runs across greenlands that need special protection against toxic influence of motor traffic.

CHANGES IN THE FEATURES OF ARABLE LANDS GENERATED BY THE CONSTRUCTION OF MOTORWAY

More credible results of the reduction level assessed (i.e. the assessment which describes the total impact of the constructed motorway on the production potential of fields/lands in its vicinity) can be obtained when shorter fragments of the motorway sections are included in the calculation procedures, for example, only the fragments running in individual villages selected for this study. The shorter are the motorway sections, the higher is the accuracy of assessed levels. The shortest possible fragment to be analyzed using the method disclosed is a motorway’s section between the two subsequent flies-over.

Areas of lands taken over for the construction of and impacted by the motorway

Lands, taken over for the construction of the motorway, do not differ much in individual villages; their areas range from 20 to 30 ha. Owing to high variation in the sizes of individual villages (from 200 to 3,500 ha), the relative loss of area, resulting from taking over lands for the construction of the motorway, also changes within a wide range from 1 to 10%. Small differences in areas of taken over lands in the villages investigated are attributed to two facts: a) similar lengths of motorway sections running through those villages; b) minor differences in their widths. The village of Łętowice is the only one where the area of lands taken over for the construction of the motorway is twice as big as the average area of such lands, and it is slightly more than 50 ha. This is an effect of a significant length of the motorway section crossing this village (5.055 km). It generally runs through a compact forest complex. In the villages under investigation, the motorway width varies between 70 and 114 m depending on the occurrence frequency of protective green belts. The protective green belts are relatively rare in this region, thus, often, the total width of the road section exceeds a planned 70 m width of the motorway without those belt. In particular, this situation happens in the villages with good soils, and sparsely wooded. The quality of soils taken over for the construction of motorway sections within those sections, and in individual villages, strongly varies from 20 to 90 points.

The range of lands taken-over for the motorway appropriately describes their areas expressed per 1 km of the motorway; this area is also a measure of the average width of the motorway section. It was evidenced above that the variations of the motorway widths in individual villages are not too high, and are related with protective green belts and their location. Basing on the changes in the average width of the motorway, it is possible to determine, in individual villages, the areas of soils that were taken over for constructing the motorway; they range from 7.0 ha to 11.4 ha per one kilometre of the motorway length.

The area of lands within the zone of detrimental impact of the motorway section is almost twice as large as the area of lands taken over for the motorway construction. And the area of terrains affected by toxic exhaust gases from motor vehicles is about 46.3 ha on the average. Those terrains consist of two strips on both sides of the motorway; their total width is 158 m. The width of those strips significantly varies as does their area; they depend on where protective green belts are situated.

In the places with no protective green belts present, a zone, that is evidently affected by the motorway, is 90 m wide (counting from the motorway’s borders). In this zone, the decrease in the arable soils quality is averagely 40% [15]. Thus, the total width of the zone of soils affected detrimentally by the motorway is 180, and the motorway itself is, according to the assumption made, 70 m. It is stated that no protective green belts are in the end part of the motorway section studied, i.e. in the villages: Wierzchosławice, Gosławice, Rudka and Bobrowniki with good and very good soils. As for the case with no protective green belts present, the area of lands taken over for the construction of the motorway is almost three times smaller than the area of the zone affected by the detrimental impact of the motorway.

In the wooded regions (the villages Biadoliny and Łętowice), the protective green belts (complementing the area with bushes, etc.) are located only on the northern side of the motorway since this side is more exposed to winds from the south and the west comparing with its other sides; those winds usually blow in detrimental substances. The fact that protective green belts are located on one side of the motorways is reflected in its width being about 100 m, and the zone of its impact on arable lands is totally 140 m, so, the area of lands affected by the detrimental influence of the motorway is roughly 1.5 times larger than the area of lands taken over for constructing the motorway. The decrease in the soils quality in the central part of the w motorway section under discussion is about 30%.

In the villages within the initial part of the motorway section studied (Jasień, Mokrzyska, Szczepanów, and Sterkowiec), the protective green belts are planned more frequently than in its other parts, however, the scheme of their locations is irregular/diversified (Fig. 2 and 4). The decrease in the quality of soils within this section owing to the detrimental influence of exhaust gases from motor vehicles also strongly varies, and this fact is attributed to the planned protective green belts. Here, the values of this decrease range from 25 to 40 %. The result of the protective green belts planned on the both sides of the motorway is that its width here is 130 m, and the total width of the motorway’s impact zone is reduced to approximately 100 m. In this situation, the area of lands taken over for the motorway project can be larger than the area of its toxic impact on arable lands.

Lands, taken over for the motorway and situated within the zone of its detrimental impact, consist of soils from different type and quality classes. A major part of them are typical arable lands and their percentage rate in the total area of lands taken over for the motorway (which crosses individual villages) significantly varies from 20 to 95%. The low percentage rates of arable lands, which are taken over for the motorway (or sometimes they are lacking at all), is due to the fact that those lands are either woods or their soils are classified as low quality soils. The area of terrains with arable lands, taken over for the motorway section under discussion, is usually about 30% smaller if compared to the total area of all the lands taken over for this purpose. As for the individual villages, the size differences in the areas of arable lands taken over for the motorway section are not significant; they are rather similar if compared to the area sizes of all other lands taken over. The areas of arable lands taken over for the motorway are usually from 15 to 20 ha; only in two highly wooded villages, they are a bit smaller, i.e. roughly 10 ha. In the villages under discussion, the areas of arable lands within the zone of the motorway impact are usually 1.5 to 2 times larger than those of lands taken over for the motorway. Furthermore, in the individual villages, relatively, they do not vary much, only from 20 to 40 ha.

These areas are expressed per one kilometre of the motorway length. In the villages analyzed, arable lands of 2 to 8 ha are taken over for one kilometre of the motorway to be constructed. The area of arable lands taken over depends on the motorway width, and, in particular, on the percentage rate of arable lands in all lands taken for the given motorway section. In highly wooded regions, the area of arable lands taken over is usually the smallest.

Areas of the analyzed arable lands taken over for the motorway refer to its specific sections running, usually, through lands with different soil types. As a rule, such areas are smaller than the ones taken over for the motorway running through arable lands only. The areas of arable lands (taken over for one kilometre of the motorway that runs through particular arable lands within the villages studied) are from 7 to 10 ha. In the individual villages, areas of arable lands within the zone of detrimental impact of a 1 km long section of the motorway are from 12 to 18 ha. The areas of arable lands as described above directly refer to corresponding widths of the motorway and to widths of zones exposed to negative impact of the motorway. It is right and clear since the method for determining the areas of these arable lands includes the assumption that ONLY arable lands are within the route of the motorway. Negligible differences between corresponding lands and areas are generated by the fact that parts of the motorway sections running through agricultural roads are also included in the total lengths of motorway sections crossing the entire arable lands.

The parameters discussed above, which refer to areas of lands taken over for the motorway and affected by its detrimental impact on arable lands, also refer to assumptions relating to the cross-profile of this motorway, and to the range of its impact on arable lands. The parameters in question are determined to emphasis the impact of the motorway; thus, the values of the parameters can be slightly overstated. For example: the width of the motorway is assumed to be 70 m, though the minimal width of a three lane motorway can be limited to 50 m. The software developed makes it possible to relatively easily change major parameters, which refer to the motorway profile, and to the range of its impact problems; the parameters in question are, for example: width of the motorway, width of the protective green belts, width of zones with the impact of exhaust gases from motor vehicles, etc. However, simulation calculations made prove that it is better to assume smaller parameters referring to the motorway profile; then, the values of areas assessed will be reduced by even 20 to 30%. However, such changes will influence the total motorway impact on arable lands to a much lower extent; the final reduction of the total impact will be by ten to twenty per cent smaller. It is possible to reduce the assumed width of the motorway without protective green belts from 70 m to the minimal width of 50 m, with all the other assumptions remaining unchanged. The result will be, for example: the decrease in the average width of the motorway to 67 m, and the area of arable lands taken over for the motorway will be reduced by about 25%. When a section of 20 m is deducted from the motorway width, the total motorway impact on the arable lands will be reduced by approximately 13%. The minimal width of lands to be repurchased is assumed to be 70 m in the design project; also, protective green belts are included in the assumptions made for the design project. With such assumptions, the average width of the motorway section is 73 m, and the width of the motorway impact zone: 120 m. The changes suggested will cause a rough 11% decrease in the total impact of motorway on arable lands.

Cutting off lands from the settlements by the motorway section

The motorway section under this study is not the best example of how a motorway influences the increase in agricultural transport. The reason is that this problem appears rather rarely in this study, and if, then, it is marginal. The motorway route within its section studied is correctly designed and developed with regard to village borders and compact complexes of rural settlements; thus, only a small part of all the lands and fields need bypasses that go through flies-over, to access them.

The assessment, made within the frame of this study, of the increase in agricultural transport refers mainly to agricultural roads. They are marked on maps of land records. Additionally, for the purpose of this assessment, it is assumed that roads crossing plots are excluded. Thus, the values obtained using such an assessing procedure can be underestimated if compared to the factual increase in the lengths of access roads to lands/fields. Of course, in evident cases, the authors try to include this transport through plots concerned by increasing its intensity/density level on the nearest roads, but, still, the values can be underestimated.

There are assessed areas of lands with increased distances to access them (owing to the motorway); the areas assessed refer to all the roads crossed by the motorway without flies-over; the lands in question are assumed to be land strips within a gathering basin of a particular access road, and they run along the motorway section within the reach of the gathering basin of a given road. The widths of such strips are assumed, too, and their calculated values are relatively small in individual villages and vary from 17 to 130 m.

As for the villages Szczepanów, Sterkowiec, Wołkowice, and Biadoliny (in the initial and middle part of the motorway section under investigation), widths of strips comprising lands, to which the distance of access will increase, are relatively large, and amount from 100 to 130 m. Here, the motorway cuts some terrains within the arable lands off from settlements; however, the areas of those terrains are usually not too large. In the villages Bobrowniki Małe and Bobrowniki Wielkie, the width of the strip studied is relatively large, its is almost 100m. This is attributed to the significant distance between the flies-over in the two villages. In other villages selected, the average widths of strips with lands, to which the accesses increase owing to the impact of the motorway, do not exceed 60 m. This width is small, and there are three main reasons of this situation: a) no terrains of larger sizes are cut off by the motorway from the rural settlements; b) the distances between the flies-over are small; c) the agricultural road system is very advantageous in this district.

The areas of lands with increased access to them are product of multiplication, i.e. the width of the gathering basin of roads crossed by the motorway with no flies-over is multiplied by the widths of strips with lands, which shall be accessed using detours going through flies-over. The widths of the strips are predetermined as mentioned above. The assessed areas do not vary much, and usually range from 10 to 15 ha. There are only two exceptions: in the villages Jasień and Brzesko, the area of plots to which the access must increase is small and does not exceed 3 ha. This is because the width of the strip with lands with a detoured access going through flies-over is also small, and the motorway runs through wooded regions. In the villages Bobrowniki Małe and Bobrowniki Wielkie, the area of plots with extended distance to accesss is almost twice as large as in other villages. Among other things, it is caused by a significant length of the motorway section running across these two villages. The differences in the areas of plots, to which the access is increased owing to the motorway, are smaller if compared to the respective widths of assumed strips of lands that run along the motorway. In Bobrowniki Małe and Bobrowniki Wielkie, as well as in the villages situated in the initial and middle part of the motorway section under the study (Mokrzyska, Szczepanów, Sterkowiec, Wołkowice and Bielcza, as well as Biadoliny), the lands, to which the access is increased, have the largest areas.

In work, there are inserted areas of lands that are cut off from the rural settlements by the motorway. The area values are expressed per one (1) kilometre of the motorway section crossing the arable lands. By calculating the areas as shown above per 1 km of the motorway section, there are eliminated two impact problems exerted by two factors: the length of a given motorway’ section and the density of arable lands existing within the section in question. The factors as pointed out provide the most detailed information of the sizes of lands cut off by the motorway from the rural settlements. They also enable the motorway sections running within the borders of a village to be compared. A 1 km long section of the motorway running through arable lands cuts 2 to 12 ha lands off from the rural settlements, and, now, the distances to access these lands from the settlements must increase. In Biadoliny, Bobrowniki Małe and Bobrowniki Wielkie, the lands with access to them requiring detouring and going on flies-over show the largest areas, which exceed 10 ha/km. This is because larger terrains in the village are cut off from the rural settlements (Fig. 2). In the majority of other villages, the areas under consideration are relatively small and equal from 2 to 8 ha, because the motorway runs in the vicinity of village borders, and possible far away from larger housing complexes.

The increases in the distance to access to lands that are cut off by the motorway section from rural settlements are determined for each individual village. They range from 0.5 to 1.1 km. Sterkowiec is the only village, in which the increase in this access is large, i.e. 1.34 km; it is larger than the distance between the flies-over in this region. And the reason, why the distance to access fields from the village Sterkowiec must increase so much, is the large distance between the fly-over no. 9 and the village borders. Therefore, the lands situated by the border of Sterkowiec are closer to the fly-over no. 10 in the neighbouring village.

The analysis results obtained prove that the increase in the distance to access lands, caused by the motorway, depends on the distance between two neighbouring flies-over, as well as on the number of roads crossed by the motorway section under consideration. The increase in the distance to access grows along with the growing distance between flies-over, and equals the half of this distance provided the number of roads crossed by the motorway is significant. If the number of roads crossed by the motorway is small, the increase in the distance to arable lands grows along with the growing distance between the access roads and flies-over. But this increase does not exceed the distance between the flies-over.

Increases in the distance to access between arable lands and rural settlements within the motorway section studied are averagely 0.8 km, so, they are relatively large. However, this fact does not predetermine the extent of the increase in the agricultural transport. The increases in the distance to access, as discussed, results mainly from distances between neighbouring flies-over. Basically, they do not depend on the route of the motorway. The only situation, when the increases in distance to access to arable lands as determined by the distances between flies-over can cause a significant increase in the financial outlays in agricultural transport, is when, simultaneously, in the same region, there are many lands to which the access must go on roads with no flies-over. This is considered an erratic/improper design of a motorway section. Although the increases in the distance to access to lands are the same for both the properly and improperly designed motorway sections, usually, it is typical for such an improperly designed section to include a significantly larger AREA OF LANDS to which distance to access must increase if compared to a properly/correctly designed section. A large increase in the distance to access to lands indicates that there are large distances between flies-over. With regard to the design correctness of the motorway route, it can be evaluated on the basis of sizes (areas) of plots that are cut off by it from the rural settlements.

Changes in the spatial arrangement of plots crossed by the motorway

In the selected villages, the motorway section investigated crosses about 100 to 150 agricultural plots, except for the villages Łętowice and Biadoliny where the number of agricultural plots is smaller and amounts to 50–80. This situation is caused by many woods in the two villages. The motorway section investigated usually crosses plots, i.e. the intersection is perpendicular to the length of plots. This fact is proved by the number of the plots. An average width of plots crossed by the motorway is about 30 m. A motorway section of about 2.000 m in length that crosses the village, includes circa 70 plots, each one 30 m wide. So, this particular motorway section can divide the existing plots into two equal parts, and the number of plots formed is 140. This number is similar to the number of plots created upon the crossing by the motorway, as indicated in previous chapters of this paper.

The lengths of plots are relatively small if compared to the width of the motorway; they do not exceed 250 m. With regard to this statement, it is assumed that the motorway section intersects them usually in the central point of its length (i.e. in the middle of the longitudinal dimension).

The area of plots created by the motorway section intersecting them is about 0.38 ha, and, as for the villages under discussion, it ranges from 0.25 to 0.55 ha. The changes in the plot are evidently connected with changes in their lengths. Plots of larger areas are usually longer than plots of smaller areas. The areas of the longest plots (over 100m), which cross the motorway section, are larger than mean areas. Such plots are in the villages with lands comprising soils of a better quality. Also, in the same villages studied, changes in the average lengths of plots where they cross the motorway range between 70 to 200 m.

With regard to plots with a much deteriorated spatial arrangement after the intersection, the sums of their areas vary to a much larger extent if compared to the mean lengths or areas of those plots. In the villages studied, the area of plots with a worsened spatial arrangement varies from 15 to 122 ha. The area of agricultural plots formed by the intersection with the motorway usually depends on their lengths, as well as on the length of the motorway section under consideration, and on the share rate of arable lands in the total soils use structure as existing in the particular terrain studied. In the region of the motorway section studied, plots are relatively long, even after they are crossed by the motorway. Owing to this fact, the areas of plots with a deteriorated spatial arrangement owing to their being crossed by the motorway are relatively large, and they are much larger than areas of lands taken over for constructing the motorway. Sometimes, they even go beyond the terrains which are inside a zone of the motorway detrimental impact on arable lands. It is true that this relatively large length of plots created after the intersection with the motorway section involves a substantial area of plots with detrimental changes in their spatial arrangement. On the other hand, owing to this relatively large length of such plots, the extent of the deterioration is not significant, especially as it is determined on the basis of average (mean) parameters of spatial arrangement of the plots.

The area diversity of plots with spatial arrangement worsened owing to the motorway constructed in the villages does not lie only in the spatial arrangement alone. It also depends on the length of a given motorway section and on the frequency of arable lands within its vicinity. These two factors make the analysis of the area diversity more difficult. The areas of plots with a deteriorated spatial arrangement, and expressed per one kilometre of the motorway running through arable lands, vary from 12 to 49 ha, depending on the individual village. These indicators make it possible to present the area under consideration in the form of two strips running along the motorway, their widths being from 60 to 250 m. The widths of the strips in question should be similar to the average length of plots after the intersection provided the motorway crosses the plots crosswise to their lengths. In the villages studied, where widths of strips comprising plots with the deteriorated spatial arrangement vary from 70 to 20 ha, this standard approach proves to be really true, and its accuracy is relatively high.

REDUCTION IN THE VALUE AND AGRICULTURAL USEFULNESS OF LANDS OWING TO THE IMPACT OF THE MOTORWAY

Impact of the motorway on a unit value of lands

The hitherto discussed parameters of motorway and agricultural lands in its vicinity had identical means and sums that were calculated for the entire motorway section under studies, and, also, on the basis of adequately weighted means as determined for the villages, or for the sections between flies-over. The parameters in question generally referred to spatial profiles of the motorway, as well as to the major features of arable soils, which are changed owing to the motorway impact on them. The assessment of the global impact of long sections of the motorway on arable lands usually includes relatively significant errors. Thus, it is reasonable and justified to assess the impact of only short (as short as possible) sections of the motorway, i.e. the impact of motorway sections running within the village borders, or, even between two neighbouring flies-over.

Prices of lands globally determine their usefulness to agricultural production. The prices of lands comprised within the motorway section vary significantly. The variation stated depends, first of all, on the strong diversity of soils in this district, and, to a lesser degree, on the spatial arrangement of plots comprised herein. Besides, for the purpose of this assessment, all other parameters are assumed to be at the same level for all the villages concerned, i.e. parameters, which influence the lands usefulness to agricultural production soils, for example, the distance from the rural settlements, features of homesteads, etc. It is possible to do this, because these parameters do not change under the impact of the motorway.

In the villages investigated, prices of lands taken over for the construction of the motorway vary from 55 to 180 cereal units/ha. The lands in the village Wierzchosławice are priced at the highest level (179.3 cereal units/ha), because soils comprised by them belong to a high quality class (85 points, which, however, do not locate them in the highest class), and, here, plots are both the largest (1.0 ha), and the longest (250 m). Lands in the village of Biadoliny and Mokrzyska show the lowest usefulness to agricultural production; their value is 50 cereal units/ha. Soils in these two villages are assessed for about 30 points, and an average plot area does not exceed 70 are (x 10² m²). The prices of lands taken over for the motorway section considered vary in a similar way as do the soils quality classes. In the villages situated in the valley of the Dunajer River, lands prices are at the highest level of 180 cereal units/ha; exactly, these lands are within the end part of the motorway section studied. Within the initial and middle parts of this motorway section, the prices of lands are reduced by more than 50% and vary from 50 to 80 cereal units/ha. The spatial arrangement of plots influences the pricing level to a significantly lesser extent. Among other things, one of the reasons is that the range of changes in the spatial arrangement is not too wide. Changes in the spatial arrangement stimulate, as a rule, the variation in land prices caused by the soils quality, because if the spatial arrangement of plots is improved, then, usually, their soils quality is improved, too.

Prices of lands within the toxic impact zone of the motorway are, of course, significantly lower if compared to prices of lands that are taken over for the motorway, as is their diversity. In the villages selected, those prices vary from 30 to 110 cereal units/ha. The reduction of prices owing to the detrimental impact of the motorway on arable lands depends chiefly on the protective green belts planed; as for the motorway section under discussion, the scale of this reduction varies from 25 to 40%.

A mean price of all the lands (from Brzesko to Tarnów) in the zone with the detrimental impact of the motorway is 66.6 cereal units/ha, it is by about 5% higher than the mean price determined on the basis of average prices of lands as set for the villages in question. Such a difference results from a non-linear impact of the spatial arrangement of a plot on the value of its soils as does the price difference of lands taken over for the motorway.

Prices of lands showing an increased distance between them and settlements owing to the impact of the motorway are also highly differentiated in individual villages. This fact is attributed, for the most part, to the quality variation of their soils. In the villages concerned, these prices vary from about 40 to 170 cereal units/ha.

Unlike the cases already discussed, a mean price of all the lands from Brzesko to Tarnów, which are cut off by the motorway section from the settlements is 90.8 cereal units/ha it is smaller than the average prices as determined on the basis of the means referring to the selected villages (97.5 cereal units/ha). This type of the mean price distribution results from the fact that in the villages with better soils quality, the total area of lands with longer distances between them and settlements after the accomplishment of the motorway project is much larger than in villages with soils of worse quality.

With regard to lands that are cut off by the motorway section from the settlements, and, thus, must be accessed through flies-over, and the distance to access is longer, their prices are reduced by 5 to 15% comparing the prices of lands taken over for the motorway. This relatively significant reduction of their value by about 5%, on the average, results from the increased distance between those lands and homesteads, and this distance depends on the distance between the neighbouring flies-over. The highest reduction of the lands prices, which exceeds 10%, occurs in the villages: Mokrzyska, Szczepanów and Sterkowiec. Its reason is that, in these villages, the distance between the homesteads and the lands (owing to the motorway impact) exceeds 800 m. The soils quality in the villages under consideration is not high, and, thus, the distance as indicated above affects the profit even stronger. The lowest reduction of the unit value of lands owing to the increase in the distance to settlements slightly exceeds 5% in the villages Wierzchosławice and Gosławice. In these villages, the increase in the distance does not exceed 800 m, and the soils quality is very good.

The unit values of plots with the spatial arrangement deteriorated upon the crossing with motorway do not differ much from the values of lands, which are cut off from the settlements by the motorway section. This statement is proved by the similar range of variations of parameters in the villages in question; the said range of variation is from 40 do 160 cereal units/ha. But, with regard to lands with a deteriorated spatial arrangement, the range of the reduction of their prices is larger than the range of price reduction of lands cut off from the settlements by the motorway; it is 14.1% on the average, and it varies between 5 to 20% in individual villages.

The unit value of lands decreased by unfavourable changes in the spatial arrangement of plots crossed by the motorway is mainly attributed to the reduction of their lengths and areas. The magnitude of such a reduction of lengths and areas depend on the three-dimensional parameters of the plots, which are crossed by the motorway. In the villages: Sterkowiec, Biadoliny, Łętowice, and Gosławice, the lands prices are significantly decreased, and this decrease is almost 20%. In these villages, the plots are relatively small and do not exceed 60 are; they are also shorter; their width is from 150 to 200m. Upon the crossing with the motorway, the plots in the villages as named above will be shorter than 100 m; therefore, farming on them will be more difficult, and their profitability will decrease, as will prices of the lands. If the plots are large and long enough, then, upon the crossing with the motorway, the decrease in the land prices is much lower. In the localities: Jasień and Wołkowice the prices of plots crossed by the motorway are lower by only 5% than their prices prior to crossing with the motorway. The reason thereof is, that, here, there are relatively large plots; their areas are almost 1 ha, and their lengths exceed 300 m. The spatial parameters of such plots are almost correct even if the plots are crossed by the motorway. Thus, their influence on the land prices is insignificant.

Reduction of arable land values caused by the motorway impact

The reductions shown are divided into four groups according to the four impact problems of the studied motorway section on the villages under investigation. The reductions shown include both changes in the unit value of lands, and areas of the respective areas of lands influenced by a given impact problem of the motorway.

Global losses in the values of arable lands within the roughly 30 km section of the motorway are 38,206 cereal units. This number equals 419.39 ha, i.e. it equals the area of one small village among 10 villages in total that are crossed by the motorway. The indicated reduction of the lands value is calculated on the basis of assessments made with regard to selected villages; this reduction is by over 5% higher than the reduction as predetermined with regard to the entire analyzed section of the motorway. This fact is good evidence that it is reasonably and useful to include sections of the motorway, that are as short as possible, in the calculations. Especially as the stated difference between the results of the estimated impact of the increased distances to lands exceeds 15%.

The total value of lands to be taken over for the motorway is 16.926.7 cereal units. The investor is going to repurchase the lands only of this total value. Therefore, lands to be repurchased for the motorway cover only circa 50% of losses of arable lands caused by the motorway. Indemnifications do not cover reductions of land usefulness to agricultural production (effecting in the decreasing values of arable lands because of the toxic impact of the motorway, and owing to both cutting off these lands from the settlements, and to the deteriorated spatial arrangement of the plots) even though the law on motorways and land protection imposes an obligation on investors to indemnify for all losses resulting from his activities and actions.

The estimated losses of arable lands, which refer to the reduction of their productivity, can be also attributed to the fact that, in some agricultural farms, production means available are not fully utilized, in particular, fixed assets (such as buildings for livestock and large-sized agricultural machines). This fact may increase overall losses as indirectly suffered by agricultural farms owing to the motorway under construction. For example, a decreased area of the farm may force reductions in the number of animals bred. Owing to this reduction, animal pens available in livestock sheds are, then, not fully utilized. Assuming the same values of lands and of fixed assets employed in the agricultural production [Statistical Year-Book 2003], it is possible to state that the factual losses as estimated and suffered by agricultural farms, and resulting from the impact of the motorway, be twice as high as the losses of the values of arable lands. The results of the investigations performed allow a conclusion to be drawn: income from repurchasing lands for the motorway covers only one fourth of total losses the agricultural farms suffer owing to the impact of the motorway. Actually, the price of lands repurchased for the motorway is 3 to 4 times as high as the average price of arable lands [20]. Generally, thanks to such inflated prices of repurchased lands, all the losses resulting from the motorway impacts can be, finally, balanced and covered.

In the villages studied, the reduction of the lands values resulting from the motorway impacts is different and varies from 1.200 to 7.500 cereal units, even though the lengths of the motorway sections are similar in these villages. This variation of the lands value reduction results not only from a relatively minor variation of lengths of motorway sections discussed, but also from the variation of soils quality and the appearance frequency of soils representing specific soils quality classes along the motorway.

In work, there are shown reductions of lands values resulting from the motorway impact. They are expressed per one kilometre of the motorway. In the villages selected, this parameter varies in a large range from 300 to 3.000 cereal units/km. Among other things, it can be attributed to the significant variations in the share rate of specific arable soils in the total area of all the soils along the motorway route. Lower losses in the arable lands values, expressed per one kilometre of the motorway, are stated if arable lands cover a minor part of the global area of all the lands along the motorway section. This situation is in the villages: Jasień, Biadoliny, and Łętowice since the arable lands here cover 20–50% of all the lands. A reduction indicator of land value is less variable; this indicator determines the reduction of the values of arable lands per one kilometre of the motorway running through these arable lands only. As for the sections under investigation, this indicator varies from 900 to 3,100 cereal units/km. The variation of the reduction of the arable land values results mainly from the variation of soils, which belong to soils quality classes as indicated. The improved quality of soils causes a proportional increase in the reduction of the land values owing to the impact of the motorway. In the villages: Wierzchosławice, Gosławice, Rudka, and Bobrowniki, the motorway will be constructed on lands with good soils belonging the soils quality classes I and II (80 points on the soils quality scale). Thus, the lands, here, loose their values, and the losses of their values are circa 2.500 cereal units/km. The losses indicated will be four (4) times lower in the villages Jasień and Łętowice, because, here, there are worse soils belonging to classes V and VI (20–25 points on the 100 point scale).

The decrease in the value of lands owing to taking them over for the motorway constitutes about 44% of the total loss of land values resulting from all the impacts of the motorway. In the majority of villages, this loss in the land values varies from 40 to 60%, it basically depends on whether or not there are protective green belts. If they are not (for example, in the villages situated in the valley of the Dunajec River: Wierzchosławice, Gosławice, Rudka, and Bobrowniki), then, the loss of values of lands owing to taking them over for the motorway constitutes only about 40% of the total loss of arable land values resulting from the global effect of the motorway.

The reduction of the soils quality referring to lands situated close to the motorway is, on the average, 35.6% of the total reduction of the lands value resulting from the motorway impact. In the villages studied, a percentage rate of the detrimental neighbourhood of the motorway in the total reduction of the arable lands value (owing to the impacts of the motorway) varies from 20 to 40%. Similar to the effect of taking over lands for the motorway, this rate depends on how frequent (in how many places) protective green belts are arranged. If there are no protective green belts planned, so, therefore, the area of lands taken over for the motorway is smaller. Consequently, the losses resulting from this problem of the motorway impact are lower. At the same time, the reduction in the lands value owing to toxic influence of the motorway is higher. Thus, the total impact of two facts: taking over lands for the motorway and its detrimental effect on the lands in its vicinity amounts to about 80% of the global impact of the motorway on arable lands, and it slightly varies in the individual villages. For this reason, a conclusion can be drawn up that losses from protective green belts planed are equivalent to the reduction of the toxic impact of the motorway on arable lands. This statement supports the belief that protective green belts should be more frequently designed since they reduce the level of poisoning the environment in the vicinity of this motorway, although the global impact of the motorway on arable lands is still unchanged. Investors try to avoid protective green belts; they design them and incorporate into the motorway project only in the situation, when they are really indispensable. The reason thereof is that protective green belts increase a number of lands that must be repurchased. The increased losses resulting from the lack of protective green belts (owing to the detrimental impact of the motorway) are not covered by indemnification, thus, investors are not charged with costs of compensations for this type of losses.

The motorway affects the spatial structure of villages and farms: negative changes occur in the spatial arrangements of plots, and the distance between them and the settlements is increased. The two effects as indicated above cause losses in the values of arable lands, which constitute about 20% of total losses generated by the motorway affecting arable lands. In the villages studied, this type of the reduction of the land values varies from 16 to 22%, except for the Biadoliny village. In the latter one, this share rate of the reduction is slightly higher; here, it reaches almost 30%. In Biadoliny, there are stated both the relatively high losses of land values resulting from the deterioration of their spatial arrangements (19%), and almost tripled losses (comparing to average losses of this type) caused by the increased distance from the settlements. Usually, total losses attributed to the spatial structure of farms, deteriorated owing to the motorway impacts, are minor, however, sometimes, they may match the reduced values of lands resulting from taking them over for the motorway.

The reduction of arable land values owing to changes in the spatial arrangement of plots crossed by the motorway is similar in the majority of the villages comprised by this study; it is about 15 to 20% of the total impacts of the motorway on the lands in question. The increase in the distance resulting from their being cut off for the settlements by the motorway section is found to have the lowest/weakest impact on the reduction of the arable land values. On the average, the reduction of the land values owing to this problem of the motorway impact is 1 to 5% of the total impacts of the motorway on the value of arable lands. The only exception are the villages Sterkowiec and Biadoliny; the increase in the distance to access lands, resulting from the motorway impact, causes a reduction of the land values that is slightly higher than the average reduction (6–10%). This fact is caused by the unfavourable location of the flies-over designed.

The quality reduction of lands layng in the vicinity of the motorway covers about 80%, on the average, of losses connected with taking-over lands for the motorway. In the villages studied, the range of this reduction varies from 20 to 100% depending on whether or not protective green belts are planed. The reduction in question is the lowest in those places of the motorway where protective green belts are on the both side of the motorway (the villages Jasień and Łętowice). The reduction discussed is significantly higher and equals almost 100% if there are no protective green belts (the villages Wierzchosławice, Gosławice, and Bobrowniki).

The spatial structure of farms deteriorated by the impact of the motorway generates the reduction of the land values. The reduction rate equals 47% of the losses of values of lands, which ar taken over for the motorway. About 9% of this rate includes the distance to access, and 38% refers to the deteriorated spatial arrangement of plots. In the villages selected, the losses in the arable land values indicated herein and generated by the deteriorated spatial structure of farms vary from 25 to 75%. A strong variation of this motorway impact problem (i.e. changes in the spatial structure of farms resulting from the motorway) is, among other things, caused by the fact that the assumed measure of the impact is also changed, i.e. the value of lands taken over for the motorway. Consequently, the interpretation of this particular impact problem becomes more difficult.

The total loss of the arable lands value, generated by the motorway, is by circa 218% larger than the value of all the lands taken over for the motorway project. As for the villages in question, and the motorway sections analyzed, this indicator varies from 150 to 250%. The unfavourable impact of the motorway project on the arable lands is equivalent to the loss of a land strip, which is 2.5 times wider than a relatively narrow motorway section (70 m), and with no protective green belts planed. In the case when the motorway section is wide (130 m) and comprises protective green belts, the total impact of the motorway on arable lands generates a loss of a land strip showing a width, which is 1.5 times larger then the width of the motorway section. In the both cases presented above, the total reduction of the arable lands value caused by the motorway project equals the loss of a land strip of a similar width ranging from 150 to 200 m.

The motorway project will produce a loss of the arable lands value (i.e. lands located within this particular motorway section); this loss will equal a land strip showing an average width of 172 m. In the villages under this analysis, the width of such a land strip varies from 165 to 187 m. The relatively minor variation of width of the land strip, lost owing to the impact of the motorway project (around 20%), is caused by two factors: the diversified impact of the motorway on the spatial structure of farms, and the summed effects of the take-over of lands for the motorway project plus its detrimental influence on arable lands in its vicinity. The effect of the first factor is slightly stronger. In the villages selected, the deterioration of the spatial structure of the village and farms owing to the impact of the motorway project is expressed in a loss of a land strip the width of which varies from 26 to 52 m. On the average, roughly 6 m of the total width of such a land strip effects in the increase in the distance between the plots and settlements, and 28 m of this total width produce the deterioration of the spatial arrangement of the plots. The variation as described above is slightly higher than the variation of the sums of losses suffered by arable lands owing to the take-over of lands for the motorway project, and by the reduced quality of arable soils in the vicinity of the motorway. In the villages under consideration, the total (resulting) impact of all the problems of the motorway project impact as indicated herein generates a loss of a land strip the width of which ranges from 133 to 140 m. Losses in the arable lands value produced by their take-over for the motorway project, and losses owing to the deterioration of the soils quality in the vicinity of the motorway complement each other, thus, their variations are limited. A land strip is taken over for the motorway project, and its width ranges from 68 to 109 m depending on whether or not protective green belts are designed. The 109m wide section of the motorway with protective green belts on its both side result in the a much lower detrimental impact of this motorway section; this impact is expressed by a loss of a 20 m wide land strip (village of Jasień). In places with no protective green belts, the motorway is 70 m wide, and its detrimental impact on arable lands in its vicinity produces a loss of strip of lands the width of which may be up to 70 m (the villages: Wierzchosławice, Gołkowice, and Bobrowniki). Usually, a 79 m wide strip of lands is taken over for the motorway project, and the detrimental impact on arable lands bordering on the motorway is equivalent to a loss of a 57 m wide strip of lands.

FINAL CONCLUSIONS

The method as disclosed herein includes all the major problems of the impact produced by a motorway project on arable lands, and allows the effects of the impact problems to be expressed in measurable units that can be easily compared with each other. The key advantage of this method is its low labour consumption, since it uses simplified routines of assessing the impact of the motorway, and calculations involved are automated. Owing to the simplified assessment routines, the range of necessary initial data (to be obtained) can be limited and it is just enough to analyse the route of the motorway axis. The automation of calculations is possible owing to the specific software developed. The method as disclosed herein can be successfully applied in the initial assessment of the motorway project on arable lands. Such an initial assessment is usually performed at the stage of deciding the motorway route (i.e. where the motorway shall run). The method as presented in this study can be, also, highly supportive while evaluating probable route variants of the individual motorway sections under design.

In the villages studied, the reduction of the land values produced by the motorway project varies from 1.200 to 7.500 cereal units, and it constitutes circa 10% of the total value of all the lands located in the said villages. This reduction, if referred to one kilometre of the motorway section studied, ranges from 300 to 3,000 cereal units/km. The scale of the reduction in the lands value per one unit of the motorway length is mainly influenced by the two factors: quality of soils situated within the route of the motorway, and the frequency of occurrence of arable lands in this district.

In the majority of villages, taking-over lands for the motorway project constitutes 40 to 60% (44% on the average) of the total impact of the motorway on those lands. The toxic impact of the motorway on the arable lands is of a slightly lower influence. The reduction of the soils quality of lands in the vicinity of the motorway comprises 20 to 40% (35% on the average) of the total loss of the arable lands value as generated by the motorway project. Both taking-over lands for the motorway project and its detrimental impact on the neighbouring lands depend on the occurrence frequency of protective green belts. If no protective green belts are planed, and, therefore, the area of lands taken over for the motorway project is smaller, then, the losses resulting from this impact problem are smaller. But the losses of the soils quality resulting from toxic influence of the motorway on the soils are higher. The sum of two impacting factors: impact of taking over lands for the motorway project and detrimental influence on the soils in its vicinity, is around 80% of the impact of the motorway on arable lands, and it slightly varies in individual villages and within the analyzed sections between flies-over. On this basis, it can be concluded that the losses, attributed to protective green belts planed and arranged along the motorway, are equivalent to the reduced detrimental impact of the motorway on arable lands. This conclusion supports the thesis and belief that protective green belts should be more frequently planed and arranged along the motorway since they really reduce the poisoning of the environment in the vicinity of the motorway, although the total impact of the motorway on arable lands remains unchanged.

The deterioration of the spatial structure of villages generated by the impact of the motorway comprises unfavourable changes in the spatial arrangement of the plots and increases the distances between the plots and the settlements; it results in a loss of the lands value amounting to 20%, on the average, of the total impact of the motorway on these lands. The impact scope of deterioration stated in the spatial arrangement of plots on the reduction of arable lands value is much higher than the impact scale of the increase in distances between lands and settlements, and as for the villages in question, it varies from 15 to 20% of the total impact of the motorway on arable lands. The increase in the distance resulting from cutting off the plots from the settlements is 1–5% of the total impact of the motorway on arable lands, and, thus, this impact problem is definitely the lowest. However, its should be emphasized that this method for assessing the increase in agricultural transport includes only travelling on existing local roads to lands, and travelling on plots/fields is omitted (not taken into account at all). This simplification can result in a certain reduction of the total impact of the motorway on agricultural transport, especially in the regions with few public roads. The scope of the motorway impact on arable lands with two factors excluded, i.e. the influence of their quality and the occurrence frequency of specific arable soils along the motorway route, is used to express this impact using area [ha] of lands that is referred to one kilometre of the motorway section running through the arable soils. This indicator can also be construed as the width [expressed in tens of metres] of a lands strip that runs along the motorway. Within the section investigated, the motorway project will generate a loss of the arable lands value. This loss will correspond with the land strip showing an average width of 172 m. In the villages selected for the study, the width of this land strip varies from 165 to 187 m. It is stated that a relatively low variation of the land strips that are lost owing the impact of the motorway project (approximately 20%) is stronger influenced by the varying effects of the motorway impact on the spatial structure of farms than by the summed effects of taking over the lands for the motorway project and the detrimental impact of the motorway on arable lands in its vicinity. Widths of lands strips being equivalent to their lost values as generated by the motorway project with regard to the motorway impact problems studied are as follows: deterioration of the spatial structure: from 26 to 54 m (35 m on the average); take-over of lands for the motorway project and the quality reduction of lands in the vicinity of the motorway: from 133 to 140 m (137 m on the average) – for the motorway sections between the villages under consideration.

The unfavourable impact of the motorway on arable lands was analyzed. It was expressed in the area of those lands per one kilometre of the motorway section crossing them. The results obtained from this analysis prove that this unfavourable impact of the motorway is balanced, it variation is minor, and it occurs only within the motorway sections showing diverse conditions of the motorway route. In particular, this statement refers to the deterioration of the spatial arrangement of plots as produced by their intersecting the motorway section, as well as to the summed effects of losses of arable lands generated by the take-over of the lands for the motorway project plus the toxic impact of the motorway on lands in its vicinity. The losses of arable lands (separately considered), as generated by two effects of the motorway, i.e. by: 1) their being taken over for the motorway project; and by 2) the detrimental impact of the motorway on the lands in its vicinity, are characterized by high diversity, however, they complement each other. Thus, their sum does not vary as high as do the components of this sum. The losses produced by the deterioration in the spatial arrangement of plots owing to their intersecting the motorway section depend only slightly on the spatial arrangement of the plots alone. In case of a high fragmentation of those plots (i.e. plots are small), their usefulness to agricultural production decreases, to a larger degree, if they are crossed by the motorway section comparing to the situation when such plots have larger areas. However, this higher reduction of the agricultural usefulness refers to a smaller area; thus, the scope of losses (suffered) does not closely depend on the state of land fragmentation.

Such a diversity of the motorway impact on arable lands is caused by the two following major factors: quality of soils comprised by those lands, and requirements conditioning the increase in the agricultural transport. With regard to poor quality soils, losses of arable lands values resulting from the motorway project as suffered per one kilometre of the motorway section analyzed are from 700 to 1,000 cereal unit/km; they are 3 to 4 times lower than similar losses of land values in the case when the motorway section runs through lands with soils of a very good quality. Losses, which include the increase in agricultural transport within the motorway section, are not too high and they rate does exceed several per cent in the total impact of the motorway on arable lands. Such low losses are attributed to two facts: the motorway route is properly configured in the terrain (with regard to its distance to the rural settlement), and the relatively small distances between the flies-over. If the motorway route is improperly planed and configured, this type of losses can highly increase and, additionally, become strongly differentiated.

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