Heavy trucks restricted on several Setomaa roads due to weather conditions
Wintry weather has made several winding roads with steep inclines in the Setomaa region difficult to drive for heavy-duty vehicles, leading the Transport Administration to temporarily restrict traffic on these Southeastern Estonian roads for the remainder of the winter.
Many truck drivers want to cut corners in Southeastern Estonia by taking side roads, not expecting to encounter such slippery conditions on steeper sections in winter. Thus the Transport Administration imposed traffic restrictions on parts of several roads in and around Setomaa Municipality for heavy-duty vehicles and vehicles with trailers with a combined weight of more than 20 metric tons.
Janar Taal, director of the Transport Administration's Southern Unit, explained that the restriction is aimed primarily at drivers of foreign heavy-duty vehicles who cross the Estonian-Russian border at the Koidula border checkpoint or into Estonia from Latvia, according to a press release.
"We have issues with four steeper inclines in Setomaa, where truck drivers primarily coming up from the south can't manage to drive up the inclines in wintry conditions," Taal explained. "There have been several cases where the road has been blocked, they've had to be hauled up [the incline] with various equipment and Border Guard operations in the area have been disrupted."
The restrictions, which entered into force Tuesday, apply to the 24.37-25.19 kilometers and 29.95-30.96 kilometers of Kääpa-Obinitsa-Võmmorski-Petseri tee (25130) as well as the 15.55-16.85 and 20.91-22.09 kilometers of Vastseliina-Meremäe-Kliima tee (25182).
Restrictions will remain in place through the end of wintry road conditions this spring.
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Editor: Aili Vahtla
