Construction of the junction was initially slated to begin in May, but acquiring the necessary permits took longer than expected, said Janar Tükk, head of maintenance at the Road Administration's Northern Region, told ERR.

Preparations, including the application process for necessary permits had begun in May. Last week a mining permit was acquired and a felling permit is still in processing.

"Information boards for the project have been placed and plans for temporary traffic management will be confirmed this week," said Tükk.

The general contractor for the project, Nordecon AS, will start mining next week, starting in the Tondiraba region of Lasnamäe, specifically near Rahu Way. One of the first tasks will be to move a power line, making it possible to also move a hot water pipe in the summer, Tükk said.

He added that this will have an effect on traffic and passing the junction will take longer than usual in the time of construction. Temporary routes will be complicated, leading to a hectic situation in traffic in the area.

Transit traffic will be allowed during construction and passage through the junction will operate from all entries, Tükk confirmed.

Road Administration (Maanteeamet) recommends using alternate routes during construction. "They will certainly inform road users of changes in traffic management, whether it be through media or the portal TarkTee," Tükk added.

Väo intersection ise one of the busiest intersections in Estonia, with 49,000 passing vehicles passing daily. Capacity for the junction has been exhausted and it needs reconstruction.

The multi-level construction will have a separate area, where the current Narva Road (Narva maantee) intersection will be reconstructed into a roundabout.

Traffic on the Peterburi Road side of Narva Road will be raised to a second level, which requires construction of four overpasses.

Tallinn roundabout's (Tallinna ringtee) Peterburi Road and Rahu Road, connecting to Laagna, will be built into a 2+2 road, which should solve congestion problems there as well.

Three kilometres of foot and bike paths will also be constructed with four tunnels connecting these paths. A smart parking solution for trucks will also be added to the Tallinn roundabout.

The Võõbu-Mäo section is the ultimate part of the Kose-Mäo four-lane section of the Tallinn-Tartu highway, set to be completed in 2022. The new Kose-Mäo 40-kilometer 2+2 road will shorten the Tallinn-Tartu-Võru-Luhamaa highway by 5.3 kilometer.

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