Tartu-Nõo highway section to get four lanes
The Transport Board (Transpordiamet) will be constructing the Tartu-Nõo road into four lanes, which means a faster and safer connection for drivers, but for the residents of Kambja municipality, the road to Tartu can be much longer.
Janno Sammul of the Transport Board, told ERR that there is heavy traffic between Tartu and Nõo. Therefore, four lanes are required.
"Today, there are already more than 10,000 cars a day. In the future, there will be 15,000 more near Tartu. The four-lane road will ensure better traffic safety and connections to nearby settlements with Tartu. This is the main goal," Sammul said.
Currently, the design is just beginning. The preliminary project is expected to be completed by 2024, construction is expected to begin in 2027.
"Today, we have put it in the plan at a price of €40 million-plus. At the moment it should be somewhere in the amount of €41.7 million. At the moment, it is in the road management plan with such an amount."
However, the road to Tartu may become longer for the residents of Kambja municipality. If the driveways are not built often enough, some residents of Kambja municipality will first have to drive further away from the city in order to turn back on the road.
"The concern for the local population is that there will be fewer accesses and junctions on this four-lane road. City connections are getting lengthier. It now depends on how much the Transport Board is willing to rebuild the local road network in order to compensate for the poorer access possibilities," Ülo Plakso, the administrative head of Kambja rural municipality government, said.
He said that there would be enough space for additional lanes.
"I think that spatial solutions could be found. Rather, it is a question of state funding. How much is the state willing to finance the reconstruction of collecting roads and the construction of new collecting roads," Plakso said.
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Editor: Roberta Vaino