"Both the section of road and the wildlife crossing will be completed in December," Martti Lilleste, project leader of the Construction Department of the Estonian Road Administration's Northern Region, told ERR on Tuesday. "Work has been delayed due to difficult weather conditions, and landscaping work will be postponed until spring."

Roadwork on the nine-kilometer, 2+1 section of Tallinn-Pärnu Highway between Ääsmäe and Kohatu began in April. New access and maintenance roads and dedicated U-turn areas were built to help improve the highway's integration with local traffic as well as access to roadside properties.

A new 50-65-meter-wide wildlife crossing was also built near Kohatu, and the entire nine-kilometer section of road will be bordered by wildlife barriers to prevent animals from ending up on the highway.

Construction work on this section of the highway, which was originally scheduled to be completed this fall, cost a total of €13 million, 85 percent of which was cofunded by the EU Cohesion Fund.