Several roadworks in Tallinn are running longer than planned this year, with some set to continue into mid-November and closures causing significant congestion.
Deputy Mayor Kristjan Järvan (Isamaa) blamed unexpected circumstances, including a gas leak on Liivalaia tänav, and admitted procurement began too late this year.
Liivalaia tänav's resurfacing was due to finish on Sunday, October 18, while in nearby Kreutzwaldi tänav' the work was due for completion even earlier, on the Friday , but both have dragged on past that.
Liivalaia is a major through route in central Tallinn, while Kreutzwaldi already saw some disruption with the ongoing construction of the new ERR TV house even before the roadwork there started.
Other major works on Peterburi tee are is now nearing completion, but they have continued to cause traffic hold-ups on the major thoroughfare and many Tallinn residents have felt the cost of the construction personally.
The stretch of work is close to the Ülemiste City district, a major work and residential hub.
"The lane turning into Ülemiste City blocks that whole intersection. I think I lose about 20 minutes a day in this area," one Tallinn resident, Merle, told "Aktuaalne kaamera."
"I've been in traffic for an hour, certainly, maybe more," said another resident, Artur.
Deputy Mayor Järvan attributed the delays to unexpected circumstances. "The most striking of these is probably the Liivalaia Street repair, where a gas leak was identified and resurfacing work has been slightly postponed as a result. But they start next Monday. I would still like to get the whole project finished in the first weeks of November," he said.
Work on Peterburi tee is on schedule, Järvan said, and the Väo road section will be reached next year. The Kreutzwaldi tänav repair should be finished by the end of October.
Tanel Jairus, a mobility engineer at TalTech, noted that the duration of roadworks is difficult to predict, since it is not known what lies beneath the ground. The capricious nature of road repair also prevents large projects from being spread across the year.
"Installing all kinds of materials has separate conditions — what temperatures, what humidity, whether it's left until autumn rains or cold. Then the result of the work is worse as a result," Jairus said.
Jairus believes making major changes to how roadworks are organised would worsen the situation. "This current system, where each time a little better is done, is actually good," he said.
Järvan admitted that repair work only began at the end of summer because procurement started too late, and promised corrections on the city's part.
"This year we have worked very hard to get the procurement done this year, which means we will reach a contract at the beginning of next year, and that in turn means that next year roadworks can start in the spring, when the weather is warm enough," Järvan said.
Summer is the regular time for major road work in the capital but projects can often overrun well into the fall as here. Other major ongoing projects include the Hippodroom intersection, west of the city center.
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