The Estonian Transport Administration, Transpordiamet, has reported that the planned Tartu-Nõo highway project will feature four lanes to ensure faster and safer connection for drivers.
Janno Sammul. head of the Administration’s development department, said that currently, the 16.5km road between Tartu and Nõo handles more than 10,000 cars per day and that in the future, there will be 15,000 more using the route in and around Tartu. He said that a four-lane road will improve traffic safety and connections between Tartu and nearby towns..
The preliminary design is expected to be complete by 2024 with construction expected to start in 2027. The cost is estimated to be around €41.7 million.
Tartu, with a population of around 92,000, is the second-largest city in Estonia after the political and financial capital Tallinn, lying 186 kilometres northwest. Nõo, within Tartu County, has a population of around 1,500.
Last May, Transpordiamet started procurement for the second construction stage of the Western Tartu Bypass. Contracts are for the Tallinn–Tartu–Võru–Luhamaa highway section of the bypass. In total, 2.5km of state roads will be rebuilt, 2km of city roads will be reconstructed and 2.4km of new city streets will be built along with five roundabouts.
Footpaths will be added along the main highways and connected to existing footpaths. Around 8.4km of shared-use paths in total will be built or reconstructed. New lighting will be added to all highways and streets. A truck park and a rest area will be built in the Võru-to-Tallinn direction. The Riia intersection will become multi-level, with the Tallinn–Tartu–Võru–Luhamaa direct route moved to the “turbo” roundabout, according to the agency.
A proposal for a ring road around the capital, Tallinn, is also under consideration.
Transpordiamet was created on January 1, 2021, by merging the Civil Aviation Administration, the Road Administration and the Maritime Administration.
