Today sees the official opening of the new railway overpass in Kaarepere in Jõgeva County, which was completed almost two months ahead of schedule. Design and construction work on the overpass was carried out by Nordecon AS in association with Ramboll Eesti AS. The total cost of construction was 4.1 million euros.

"The main asphalting work was completed at the end of September, when the new section of road was opened up to traffic," explained Jaanus Taro, Director of Road Construction with Nordecon AS. "Construction as a whole came to an end in November, which is to say almost two months ahead of time! We’re really happy that’s how it’s gone, since more often than not you’re up against it when it comes to the deadlines clients set, and that puts the entire process under a lot of pressure. But in this case the right circumstances just came together for us – the weather was exactly what we needed, and working with everyone involved couldn’t have been easier."

Taro says the new multi-level overpass, which is at the point where the Tapa-Tartu railway line meets the Tartu-Jõgeva-Aravete highway, is not only a triumph of landscape architecture for the Vooremaa area, but also a major safety boost: it replaces the original railway crossing, which was the sight of several fatal accidents. In addition to erecting the overpass, the existing roadways on and around the intersection were reconstructed and two physical railway crossing points were closed. As a result of the new layout, the speed limit on the highway has been reduced and local residents now have to cover a slightly longer distance in line with traffic safety requirements.

A total of 3.2 km of new roads with a dual-layer asphalt cover were laid in the course of construction, as well as the reinforced concrete overpass above the railway line. New connecting roads were also constructed linking the Pikkjärve-Tõrve, Kaarepere-Palamuse and Pikkjärve-Sääsküla roads to the highway. The railway crossings for vehicles were closed and replaced with light traffic crossings, and a new car park was constructed next to Kaarepere station.

Photos: Nordecon

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