Ice road opened connecting Saaremaa, Hiiumaa
Estonia's fourth ice road of the season was opened between Triigi and Tärkma on Thursday, directly connecting Estonia's major western islands of Saaremaa and Hiiumaa.
"Things have gone well for us this year, because we were able to open a fourth ice road as well," said Hannes Vaidla, head of the Estonian Road Administration's Western Region. "We hope that the cold will last and those who want to can continue using the ice roads for quite some time."
The 16.7-kilometer ice road, which is maintained by AS Eesti Teed and demarcated with juniper bushes, is open to traffic during daylight hours, initially between 8 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.
Entrances are located adjacent to the Port of Triigi in Saaremaa and Port of Tärkma in Hiiumaa. Vehicles with an actual mass of up to 2.5 tons are permitted to use the ice road.
The Estonian Road Administration also announced that they will not be opening ice roads between Heltermaa and Rohuküla, Kihnu and Lao, or Virtsu and Kuivastu.
Additional info for drivers
Ice roads in Estonia may be subject to emergency closures based on changes in weather conditions. The Estonian Road Administration provides updated info on its ice roads map (link in Estonian).
Drivers are asked to adhere strictly to all special ice road traffic rules, which can be found in English here.
Editor: Aili Vahtla