Construction, Estonia, Financial Services, Legislation, Transport

"For the Road Administration, signing this contract is one of the highlights of the past few years as it summarizes a substantial and thorough preparation stage. Now we will hand over the baton to the construction company for the realization of the project solution," Kaupo Sirk, deputy director general in the construction and development area at the Road Administration, said in a press release.

"The construction of said section is a big challenge for the builder as we hope to delight road users with a long-anticipated and user-friendly 2+2 cross section in 2020," he said.

"The construction of the Kose-Ardu section is one of the largest road construction projects in Estonia in the last 25 years, during which the whole four-lane section will be built on a new route, which will result in the new 40 kilometer Kose-Mao 2+2 road shortening the Tallinn-Tartu-Voru-Luhamaa highway by 5.3 kilometers," CEO of Trev-2 Grupp Sven Pertens said.

Pertens said that the new section is also unique in that the construction period will have no substantial impact on the existing traffic.

"As the Kose-Ardu section is a completely new route, the existing traffic can continue until the completion of the new road in 2020 without restrictions caused by the large scale construction," Pertens said.

The section between Kose and Ardu is a part of the four-lane Kose-Mao highway section. The construction of the 12 kilometer Kose-Ardu section will begin in August 2017 and will last for 40 months.

The whole section will feature a 2+2 road with a median strip, crossing facilities at Kose-Risti and Ardu, one tunnel and one wildlife crossing. The plan also includes the construction of culverts for amphibians and small game animals. Crossings with side roads and local roads will be separated.

The existing Kose-Ardu section on the Tallinn-Tartu route will fully service local traffic and if necessary, will function as an alternative to the highway for different special situations. The new section is projected for speeds of 120 kilometers per hour.

The construction tender for the Ardu-Voobu section will be announced in the third quarter and the aim of the Road Administration is to complete both sections in 2020.

The final solution of the project documentation of the Kose-Ardu-Voobu section was designed by Skepast & Puhkim AS in cooperation with Reaalprojekt OU.