Road maintenance has become more expensive this year due to inflation and the cost of materials, Friday's "Aktuaalne kaamera" reported.

The costs are paid out by the Transport Administration and are based on market prices.

"We will not make cutbacks at the expense of safety," Andres Piibeleht, head of the infrastructure maintenance department said.

The agency has an indexing mechanism for compensation which will be followed this year, he said.

Verston, the largest road maintenance business in the country, manages a third of Estonia's state roads — 5,500 kilometers — with a fleet of approximately 100 vehicles.

Tarmo Lood, Verston maintenance area manager, said the company has five-year fixed contracts and the costs are based on an average winter. While last year the weather was worse than expected, the preceding two were easier than normal, he told AK.

"So, yes, winters are different, and that's why today we can't say with certainty that we are successful every winter, but on average it levels out," Lood said. 

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