The project would be centered on the west-to-east Pärnu mnt-Narva mnt thoroughfare and would involve a redesign of the area around the front of the Viru Keskus shopping mall, under current plans.

The Reform-Isamaa-SDE-Eesti 200 Tallinn city government, in office since April 2024, has restarted the so-called main street project. Kõlvart, when he was mayor, had halted the project on the grounds that congestion and public transport traffic issues were unresolved.

Speaking recently to ERR about his reasoning at the time, Kõlvart said: "The main issue was capacity, and I believe it is still unresolved. It is not just about regular traffic, but primarily about public transport. We cannot talk about the main street without addressing the future perspective of Liivalaia tänav."

If the city government is discussing plans for tram lines on Liivalaia tänav at the same time as planning to launch the main street project, then traffic capacities will deteriorate not just on specific streets but across the entire city center, Kõlvart said.

"We have a beautiful project on paper, but in real life, it causes traffic problems," he noted.

This would remain the case were he mayor now or in the future, Kõlvart went on.

"For the Center Party and also for me personally, this is not a topic we should go on with. The priority is people's livelihoods, and since resources are limited, choices must be made. Since the current city government unfortunately first puts forward an initiative and only afterward starts with analysis or deals with consequences, it is not out of the question that this project is simply not viable, and if it is not viable, it must be stopped – there is nothing to be done about it," Kõlvart argued.

Kõlvart is not alone in raising concerns, however. The Viru Keskus mall too has expressed concerns that solutions for the zone in front of the Viru Hotel remain unclear, access to the nearby parking lot would worsen, while the connection between the mall and the proposed main street would not be sufficiently cohesive.

Viru Keskus CEO Gertti Kogermann said it was important that the city government involve as many stakeholders as possible to ensure the completed main street also supports local businesses.

"Naturally, Tallinn needs a new representative street, and we certainly want to contribute our thoughts so that this emerging main street could be a modern urban space which takes into consideration and supports business, and doesn't destroy it. Unfortunately, in Tallinn we have seen several bad examples lately, such as the dying stretch of Pärnu maantee and the overly long tramline construction, which has been very painful for all business owners," Kogermann said.

Kogermann added it was "highly commendable" that the project took into account pedestrians and cyclists, but equally is "extremely important that smooth public transport flows and convenient access to the bus terminal under Viru Center are considered in a comprehensive way."

Tallinn Deputy Mayor Pärtel-Peeter Pere (Reform) said, however, that the needs of local businesses are certainly being taken into account.

"In the case of the main street, it is especially important that local businesses, shops, cafes, and offices are easily accessible. Over the past year, we have specifically been working to resolve concerns such as exiting the Viru bus terminal or parking lot. The idea of the main street is to bring more people out onto the street, which would mean more potential customers for businesses," Pere said.

Local elections are looming this fall, while the Center Party, which Kõlvart leads, is according to most polls the most supported in Tallinn, even as it would not recoup the absolute majority it once enjoyed.

The implementation of the main street project was stopped in 2019 after a study commissioned by the then Center-led city government found it would lead to congestion and a fall in average public transport speeds.

Tallinn city government aims to create what it calls a modern, people-friendly, and green representative street along Narva maantee and Pärnu maantee, running from the Jõe-Pronksi street intersection to Freedom Square (Vabaduse väljak).
The winning entry of a 2016 design competition called "Kevad linnas" ("Spring in the City") was set to be the basis of the planned development.

Public discussion on the design conditions for the proposed Tallinn main street is set to take place next week.

Tallinn hopes to finalize the design conditions for the main street (peatänav) by the end of May. This will be followed by a public display and discussion, with the aim of starting the design process by the end of summer.

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