Change in highway route may eliminate dangerous Puhu intersection
The Estonian Road Administration is on Thursday introducing its initial plan to Põltsamaa Municipal Council according to which Tallinn-Tartu Highway will be shifted a few hundred metres northeast toward Jõgeva from its current intersection with Jõgeva-Põltsamaa Highway, known in Estonian as Puhu rist.
While the plan is to be introduced on Thursday, highway construction at the intersection would not begin until 2023, writes regional daily Tartu Postimees (link in Estonian). Whether the main highway will cross above or below Jõgeva-Põltsamaa Highway remains to be seen and will be determined in the course of negotiations.
"According to the plan, Tallinn-Tartu Highway's Põltsamaa bypass will begin at the beginning of Põltsamaa-Võhma Highway and terminate in Annikvere," a deputy official from the Estonian Road Administration's Southern Region explained.
According to the official, the current plan was initially drawn up seven years ago, and the explanatory memorandum accompanying the plan at the time already noted that the Puhu intersection was dangerous due to the heavy traffic it sees, adding that the intersection with Jõgeva-Põltsamaa Highway causes confusion and that the intersection's speed limit of 50 km/h likewise hampers the smooth flow of traffic.
Editor: Aili Vahtla