Nordecon AS completed the construction of the Aruvalla-Kose section of the road in time and at the end of last week it delivered the finished site to the contracting entity, the Road Administration. Today, the four-lane section of the road with a total cost of about 50 million euros will be fully opened for traffic.
“To date, it is possible to drive on Estonia’s most heavily used trunk road for 40 kilometres already with a modern four-lane highway and the completed section will surely not be the last one,” said Minister of Economic Affairs and Communications Juhan Parts. "Along with better traffic conditions, each kilometre of the new road will have a positive impact on the life and activities of local people and companies, both by simply helping them save some time or creating prerequisites for new investments."
Aivo Adamson, Director of the Road Administration noted that the completed site conforms to the standard of Class 1 road. “The cost-benefit analysis indicates that the traffic volume on this section might double in ten years. The integral solution executed by the constructor is expected to ensure the traffic environment, which is safe and well-functioning to the limit. “By relying on the good sense of road users I have reason to believe that as far as traffic safety indicators are concerned, we will come closer to the rest of Europe step by step,” Adamson said.
“Although many people were sceptical, Nordecon managed to finish the work on time. Such a simultaneous execution of large-scale construction work performed on this site this summer is a rare exception in Estonia’s road construction,” stated Erkki Suurorg, member of the Management Board at Nordecon AS. “This project has definitely taught different parties a lot in terms of how to plan, design and execute construction work that is of major importance and under public scrutiny. In conclusion, I can say with peace of mind that we have delivered a section of road that is up-to-date and user-friendly; and which should please not just drivers, but also pedestrians, the Amphibia and wild animals”.
The Aruvalla-Kose section of the Tallinn-Tartu-Võru-Luhamaa highway is situated in Harju County and starts at the 26.6 kilometre point of the road and ends at the 40.0 kilometre. The first 1.8 kilometres of the section are situated in the Rae rural municipality and the rest in the Kose rural municipality. The renovated section of the road and the bridges on it were initially built between 1958 and 1962. In the course of the completed construction work, a 13 km stretch of the main road was rebuilt into a four-lane Class 1 road. All intersections with the main road have been transferred to different levels – the total volume of crossing and ramps stretches for 7.8 kilometres.
In addition to planting and landscaping, the project included the construction of collector and access roads stretching for 21.1 km, cycle and pedestrian tracks stretching for 7.1 km and noise barriers stretching for 6.9 km. Crash barriers, road lighting and traffic control devices were also installed.
The project involved the construction of two multi-level junctions and two crossings with three viaducts and two tunnels. Bridges on the main road over Pirita and Kuivajõe rivers, the first green bridge in Estonia, collector road bridge and a cycle and pedestrian track bridge over Pirita river and its tunnel have also been constructed.
The contractors awarded with the contract were joint tenderers Nordecon AS and Ramboll Eesti AS and the contracting entity was the Road Administration. The construction was funded to the extent of 85% by the European Union Cohesion Fund.
