Tartu to Gain the Most From New State Budget
Tartu stands out as the biggest winner in terms of direct investments allocated to cities and towns in the 2014 state budget bill submitted to Parliament today.
State funds for the city amount to 50 million euros, most notably for the construction of the Estonian National Museum (22.5 million euros) and a new traffic circle (12 million euros), as well as for smaller projects, reported ERR radio. Construction of the National Museum will continue in 2015, with a total price tag of 75.6 million euros.
Tartu Mayor Urmas Kruuse said the investments are significantly greater than what the city has been getting annually over the past eight years.
"Looking at where the investments are going, there are very important projects - the National Museum, which is long overdue and has been a 100-year-old debt of the Estonian state. There are also the east traffic circle solutions - if we want to have cleaner air in the center of Tartu and reduce transit traffic through the center of the city, then these decisions are very positive," Kruuse said.
Investments will also be made toward building projects at the Paulus church, the national archive, a prison, a Road Administration office, the Tartu Rescue Department and merged emergency call center.