The goal of reconstructing one of the busiest intersections in the entire city was to make the region safer and more comfortable for pedestrians while also allowing for more cars to pass the intersection, ETV's daily affairs show "Aktuaalne kaamera" reported on Wednesday.

Mayor Urmas Klaas (Reform) calls the reconstruction one of the most important road construction projects in Tartu in the last decade. "Tartu is a city that promotes healthy mobility. Located in one of the busiest sections of the city, the cycle and pedestrian traffic bridge and tunnels make traffic safer and the connection with the city center, Maarjamõisa and other parts of the city more convenient and faster," Klaas said.

Pathway tunnels were built on both sides of Riia tänav using unique construction techniques like tunneling the bridge's concrete frames through the railway embankment. "Despite the complicated construction works, the organization of work went well and the object was completed before the planned deadline," Tartu deputy mayor Raimond Tamm said.

The road and railway bridge crossing it were both reconstructed, supplemented now with a cycle path bridge called the Vaksali bridge (Vaksali sild).

The project cost the city €5.2 million, €1.4 million of which came from the EU's Cohesion Fund "Development of Tartu Railway Station and Increasing Accessibility" project. The development began in April 2020.

Editor's note: Find more clips of the bridge in the attached "Aktuaalne kaamera" report (in Estonian) attached to the article.

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