Lt Col. Erki Soo, support command chief, told "Aktuaalne kaamera": "When it comes to transporting military equipment, this is primarily about tonnage; ensuring that bridges' load capacities lie within permissible limits."

The Kanama viaduct near Saue, and the Päädeva-Konuvere (Rapla County) stretch of Pärnu highway are being upgraded, partly to withstand such weights.

For instance, whereas a family car weights a couple of tonnes maximum, and a truck, at least on Estonia's roads, anything from a few tonnes to around 20 or so, a Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank weighs around 65 tonnes.

Priit Sauk, Director General of the civilian Transport Administration (Transpordiamet), said: "While the average weight of a special transport used to be around 40 tonnes or slightly more, today we are talking about loads exceeding 80 tonnes which could be crossing viaducts like these."

This is roughly the weight of a truck carrying a tank on a trailer.

Bridges built during the Soviet era were designed to carry the armor of the era, but modern tanks are heavier, while the same bridges have deteriorated and weakened over time as well.

The total cost of construction for the Kanama and the Päädeva-Konuvere projects is around €100 million, around half of which is being provided via EU support.

Road engineer Ain Kendra painted a bleaker picture of the current situation, saying: "If we look at the state's budget strategy, which has left road construction virtually on a starvation diet, there's nothing fun to be said. There are a number of bridges where even a regular 44-ton load can't traverse today, let alone a tank."

Bridge heights mostly ok

Another concern relates to bridge heights, though in general these are thought to be of a sufficient height to accommodate state-of-the-art armor and other military vehicles.

Kendra said that he had: "Just checked the height of the American Abrams tank, which is 2.89 meters. If it gets transported on a low trailer, it would likely fit within a four-meter height clearance. And a four-meter clearance fits everything, as it's also standard for regular trucks."

Military equipment is often transported over longer distances by rail.

However, Estonia's current railtrack has a different gauge from those in Western Europe. Trains must be changed before reaching the Baltic states, which takes time – this was notably achieved by arriving French forces early on in the Covid pandemic, for instance.

In any case, roads are increasingly being chosen over rail as a means of transport, at least in Estonia as things stand.

Lt Col. Soo told "Aktuaalne kaamera": "Considering our rail infrastructure and the junctions it passes through, it plays more of a supportive role. The Rail Baltica project will certainly improve on this aspect."

The Estonian Defense Forces have mapped the country's infrastructure, Soo noted, adding there are generally no significant obstacles to the movement of convoys.

Once allies have arrived and deployed from other parts of Europe, the situation is favorable, he said. "The construction of new roads brings us additional flexibility. We have more resources to use and different routes to bring in allies. We can bring them in on various roads."

The EDF currently has no heavy tanks of its own, meaning that gap is plugged by those of allies such as France and the U.K., in keeping with NATO's interoperability perspective.

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