Nordecon Infra AS, alongside Nordecon International AS and Ramboll Eesti AS, entered into a subcontracting agreement last week with the Estonian Road Authority as the lead partner in the construction of an overpass to replace three railway crossings in Kaarepere in Jõgeva County. The total cost of the design and construction project is 67.2 million kroons.

"The completion of the overpass will see the closure of three existing railway crossings, which for locals will mean a slightly longer way around, taking them a little longer," explained Erkki Suurorg, chairman of the management board of Nordecon Infra AS. "That said, they’ll no longer be stuck behind boom-gates at level crossings, which is a position they often find themselves in at the moment, and traffic safety will be boosted by the fact that they won’t have to deal with the poor visibility at the crossings any more. The area will also become safer and quieter because what we’re developing will draw traffic around the village of Pikkjärve instead of through it, and a number of byroads will be constructed where the new sections of road for the overpass are laid."

Suurorg says that there have been 30 accidents in the last 15 years on the section of road being redeveloped, from collisions with boom-gates and local wildlife to incidents involving cars going off the road and hitting pedestrians.

Construction of the new roads and overpass at Kaarepere will be the biggest road project undertaken in Jõgeva County in 2011. The aim of the project is to replace the three existing railway crossings in the area – on the Pikkjärve-Kaarepere section of the Jõgeva-Tartu road and on the intersecting Kaarepere-Palamuse and Pikkjärve-Tõrve roads – with a railway overpass and to construct the network of byroads and footpaths this will necessitate.

The work will cover a total of 5.2 kilometres of roads. The project is being co-financed through the Structural Funds of the European Union. Work will begin in January 2011 and last 12 months.