The new coalition has agreed to continue with the redesign work that was first proposed almost a decade ago but later scrapped in 2019, known as the "main street" project. The work is factored into the city's budget.

"We will take the winning project and start working on it," Tallinn Deputy Mayor Pärtel-Peeter Pere (Reform) said at a press conference on Tuesday.

Madle Lippus (SDE), deputy mayor of urban planning, confirmed the project will be based on the design "Spring in the city" (Kevad linnas) from eight years ago. This means the area from the Jõe-Pronksi intersection to Vadadus väljak will be revamped.

"What we have done in the meantime is review the concerns of city departments and reach agreements on how to proceed with drafting the design conditions. The main street project is currently in the phase of preparing these design conditions," she said.

The biggest problem with the design was traffic jams, which eventually led to the plan being scrapped.

It also did not take into account the Old Harbor tram line running through Hobujaama, which will launch next week. However, these problems have now been solved.

"It has long been discussed that the concentration of public transport in the Hobujaama area is very high, and from the perspective of the route network, it is not very practical, as people often need to travel to entirely different destinations. The second phase of the route network changes addressed this issue, among other things. For example, this is one of the reasons why public transport usage has already increased in the Suur-Ameerika area — redirecting public transport more in that direction. The share of routes that do not pass through Hobujaama has certainly increased, meaning the density of public transport there is no longer as high," said Lippus.

A solution was also found for the narrowest place

Traffic management was another of the biggest concerns with the plan. Pere stressed on Tuesday that cars will have lanes in both directions, as was also stipulated in the winning work.

Lippus said a solution had to be found for the narrowest section between the Drama Theater and St. John's Church (Jaani kirik).

"Since movement speeds are already low in that area, it is possible to consider a solution where cars and bicycles share the same space while the sidewalk remains separate. We agreed that this specific issue will be resolved during the design process," the SDE politician said.

Lippus added several questions need resolving during the design process.

"This is entirely the standard logic for drafting a street project. What we established were principles — for instance, if the road corridor is indeed very narrow in certain places, then, given that the movement speeds of cyclists and cars are more similar, it's better to seek a compromise by merging their traffic spaces rather than combining pedestrians and cyclists," she said.

Tallinn plans to announce the design tender in the first quarter of next year.

Mayor Jevgeni Ossinovski (SDE) and former Mayor Mihhail Kõlvart (Center) agreed the reconstruction of Liivalaia must be completed first as two of the capital's biggest roads cannot be closed at the same time. Work on Liivalaia should finish in 2029.

"When exactly we begin construction will depend on the complexity of these projects. However, it's likely that the situation will develop in such a way that we will first complete the Liivalaia project and then the main street," Lippus said.

The city has recently discussed how it can improve road work processes.

"What hasn't been done before, but we have discussed, is that the Environmental and Public Utilities Department has been tasked with ensuring that intersections and public transport connections are prioritized during construction. Additionally, the work schedule should be reviewed to make it as efficient as possible, minimizing disruptions to the urban environment," said Lippus.

The winning work of the main street design competition "Spring in the City" was selected in June 2016. The authors are Toomas Paaver (Linnalandushed OÜ), Indrek Kustavus (Extech Design OÜ), Indrek Peil, Siiri Vallner, Kristel Niisuke, Valdis Linde, Riin-Kärt Ranne (Kavakava OÜ).

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