Just a month ago, Tartu's mayors were faced with a choice: either find extra funds in order to go ahead with the expensive renovation of the Sõpruse Bridge as initially planned, or change the scope of the project and only reconstruct the bridge itself, leaving the surrounding areas unchanged.

The city's governing coalition has now reached a consensus that the bridge can be reconstructed according to the existing designs and a contract signed with AS Tref, said Tartu Deputy Mayor Raimond Tamm.

"That is to say, to implement the overall solution incorporating the Sõpruse Bridge with its surrounding area, along with the various intersections that are located in the vicinity of the Sõpruse Bridge, plus the access roads that are connected to these intersections," explained Tamm.

According to the tender bid submitted, Tref is asking for around €18.4 million for the reconstruction of the bridge – nearly €6 million more than the City of Tartu had earmarked for the job. As the city will not receive any additional funds from the state for the work, the plan is to cover the costs in three ways. First, using surplus from this year's investments, second, from the sale of the city's real estate and third, from the postponement of other road construction projects, said Tamm.

"This year, around €1.5 million is the amount we are planning to allocate in the budget to cover the additional costs of the Sõpruse Bridge. We are planning to sell property for around €2 million, which will then help to cover the increase in cost. And the remainder will come from a reduction (in price) of the remaining objects."

The list of planned roadworks in the city to be postponed as a result is yet  to be finalized. However, there are plans to put properties such as those at Fortuuna tänav 1 and 1A up for sale. Those plans will be presented to Tartu City Council on Thursday.

According to Silver Kuusik, head of the Estonian Nationalists and Conservatives (ERK) party in Tartu  City Council, the whole Sõpruse Bridge affair, especially the rising cost of repairs, is an example of poor management.

"The council has been put into a forced position today. We have adopted a budget that is significantly different from the result of today's procurement," Kuusik said.

However, according to Kuusik, nobody seems to doubt the need to repair the Sõpruse Bridge. He added that there are other objects in the city for which construction work could be postponed.

"The Sõpruse Bridge is necessary for ordinary people, it is a daily necessity (for them) to get to work in the morning and back home in the evening. Among the council there are also discussions on the sale of Gildi 8. However, the funds from Gildi 8 have been earmarked to cover this same gigantic project – SÜKU or Siuru (Tartu's Downtown Cultural Center – ed.). So there really are options, it's a question of political choice," said Kuusik.

The formal decision on whether to proceed with the procurement procedure will ultimately be taken by Tartu City Government.

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