Tomorrow will see the official opening of the Sillamäe TruckStop – the parking area for trucks queuing to cross the Russian border that has been constructed by Nordecon. The project was commissioned by the Estonian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications and AS Sillamäe Sadam. The total cost of constructing the parking area was 2.47 million euros, 1.15 million of which was covered by support from the European Union.

"The project ended up costing more than expected because quite a lot of the structures that needed putting up didn’t form part of the ‘Europroject’ and AS Sillamäe Sadam had to pay for them out of their own pocket," explained Jaano Vink, Chairman of the Management Board of Nordecon AS. "What we’ve ended up with though is a huge step forward in making life easier for those crossing the border, since it will cut waiting times and make the whole area much easier to use."

Describing the company’s approach to the project, Vink said: "We saw it as a big responsibility – one we hoped would have a real impact on economic ties between the EU and Russia. After all, international studies have shown that it’s the quality of logistics and well-developed infrastructure that are most important when you’re trying to attract investment into an area."

Speaking at the event marking the opening of the TruckStop, which will begin at the Port of Sillamäe at 13:00 this Friday, will be Tiit Vähi, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of AS Silmet Grupp; Siim Kallas, European Commissioner for Transport; Juhan Parts, Estonian Minister of Economic Affairs and Communications; Ken-Marti Vaher, Estonian Minister of the Interior; Nikolai Asaul, Deputy Minister for Transport of the Russian Federation; and Jelena Korshunova, mayor of Sillamäe, who will officially present authorisation for the use of the parking area.

Construction of the TruckStop in Sillamäe will eradicate queues of trucks along the highway waiting to cross the border, which will have a positive effect on traffic safety, improve conditions for the trucks’ drivers and ensure that their working and rest times are adhered to.

The launch of the project also inspired a review and reorganisation of Sillamäe’s maritime border point. The main contractor for the construction of the parking area and the building on the site was Nordecon AS, while the design company was Alver Arhitektid OÜ. The complex will be managed by AS Silport Kinnisvara.

The TruckStop is connected to the GoSwift Estonia-Russia border crossing electronic queuing system developed by GirF OÜ, which operates in all highway border areas in Estonia leading to Russia (Narva, Koidula and Luhamaa) and which is designed to make crossing the border simpler for drivers, with shorter waiting times.

The Sillamäe TruckStop will be for the exclusive use of trucks. The parking area in Narva is designed for cars, buses and trucks taking on loads within Narva itself or from surrounding areas. The parking area in Sillamäe is connected to the main gate of the port and the customs point on the maritime border. As such, drivers will now be able to choose between crossing the border by road in Narva or travelling to Russia by sea. They will also be able to conduct all customs formalities, draw up preliminary declarations and send customs information across the border electronically in Sillamäe, which will save time when crossing the border on the Russian side.

Photos: Nordecon

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