03.10.2023
On September 29, the Estonian Transport Board, OÜ Rail Baltic Estonia and GRK Eesti AS signed an agreement for the construction of the Kangru traffic interchange on the border of Kiili and Saku municipalities.
"I am pleased to note that the construction of Rail Baltica, a common railway route between the three Baltic states, has reached the next major stage, where we are going to rebuild an important traffic junction," said the Director General of the Estonian Transport Board. Priit Sauk. "It is important that the level of traffic safety at the multi-level Kangru traffic interchange increases for road users."
“We have started the construction of Rail Baltica in Estonia by constructing various intersections, and it can undoubtedly be said that the Kangru traffic junction is the largest of them as a separate object. I am pleased that the contract for the construction of the new traffic junction has been signed today, and with the construction of this important infrastructure object, we will also be able to solve the intersection of Viljandi Road with the Rail Baltica railway by the first half of 2026. It is no less important that the solution for the traffic junction was created in close cooperation with the local community – the traffic flow of the state road, or transit, will be moved away from the Kangru settlement, as well as the traffic associated with large-scale developments in the Kiili-Tuhala direction. This will reduce noise and increase road safety,” said the Chairman of the Board of Rail Baltic Estonia Anvar Salomets.
According to Salometsa, when the tender was launched this spring, the contract cost was estimated at 23,5 million euros. The bid that brought AS GRK Eesti the tender victory in the competition of four bidders was 21,2 million euros, plus VAT. The construction of the Kangru traffic junction is being financed 100% by the European Recovery Instrument.
"The Rail Baltica project, which will connect the Baltic States more closely with Europe, is strategically very important for Estonia. We at GRK are grateful for the opportunity to participate in such an important major project," said GRK Estonia CEO Tiit Roben"At a time when infrastructure construction orders are shrinking in Estonia, the construction of Rail Baltica provides an opportunity to maintain employment in our profession."
Roben added that GRK has built several important infrastructure projects in Estonia over the past ten years, and the experience gained from these projects will certainly help to successfully complete the construction of the Kangru traffic interchange. In addition, GRK will receive support from its parent company in Finland, which has extensive expertise and technical capabilities in the field of infrastructure construction, if necessary.
The Kangru traffic junction project will construct five reinforced concrete structures – four viaducts and one light traffic tunnel. Three of these viaducts will cross the Rail Baltica railway route and one will cross the future four-lane Viljandi Highway. One of the viaducts crossing the Rail Baltica route is intended for light traffic. The light traffic tunnel will be built under the Viljandi Highway to ensure safe traffic opportunities for light traffic.
During the construction of the Kangru traffic junction, the intersections of the Viljandi highway, the Kurna-Tuhala state road and the Rail Baltica railway will be resolved. During the works, a light traffic road will be built, leading from Kangru village to Raku Lake, and the current intersection of the Viljandi highway and the Kurna-Tuhala highway will be converted to a multi-level crossing, which will ensure greater traffic safety. In addition, the Viljandi highway will be built to four lanes for a length of 2,5 km, which will be 300-400 meters west of its current location.
Construction will begin in the first half of 2024 and will be completed no later than the first quarter of 2026. The construction work is being commissioned by the Estonian Transport Board. The road section will not be closed to traffic during the work.
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