14.05.2020
With the aim of completing the Rail Baltica high-speed rail connection and the associated infrastructure by 2026, the construction of dozens of viaducts, ecoducts and other facilities is planned to begin this year and next.
In total, it is planned to invest 21,3 million euros in the construction of Rail Baltica in 2020 and approximately 60 million euros next year.
Rail Baltic Estonia Chairman of the Board Tõnu GrünbergAccording to i, the first seven facilities have been selected to date, and the construction tenders for them are planned to be announced in the second half of this year. "Since the basic design has progressed the furthest in Estonia in Harju and Rapla counties, we can also start building specific objects. These include five road viaducts and two ecoducts, but of course we are constantly monitoring so that we can put additional objects into operation as much as possible according to the progress of the project. The Road Administration also has a very important role to play here, in cooperation with which we organize a large part of the construction tenders," explained Grünberg.
The construction of the Saustinõmme viaduct continues in Harju County, and the next projects to be built are the Kurtna Road and Künka Road viaducts in Saku Rural Municipality, the construction projects for which will be completed this summer and construction will begin in the spring of 2021 at the latest.
In Rae rural municipality, the Rail Baltica railway intersects with Tartu Road. The construction procurements for the nearby Assaku and Põrguvälja road viaducts are planned for autumn 2020, and construction should begin in spring 2021.
In Rapla County, the Rapla-Varbola road viaduct will be put into operation, the construction procurement for which will be carried out at the end of 2020.
The first eco-ducts of the Rail Baltica project will also be built in Rapla County. According to current plans, the tender for the Urge and Loone green bridges will be announced in the fall of 2020, so that construction work can begin in the spring of 2021 at the latest.
No major construction procurements will be announced this year for the Pärnu County section of the route, but the relocation of high-voltage lines will continue.
"Since most processes are time-consuming, we do not carry out various works sequentially, but as parallel as possible - in addition to design and construction procurement, land is acquired, potential environmental risks are mitigated, passenger and cargo terminals are designed, and other necessary development activities are carried out," said Tõnu Grünberg.
The investment budget for the Rail Baltica project next year is around 60 million euros, which includes both construction and design. Next year, the intention is to start building 26 bridges and viaducts and 7 ecoducts, as well as continue with the relocation of high-voltage lines and gas mains. By the second half of 2021, the construction of Rail Baltica will have started in all three counties: Harju County, Rapla County and Pärnu County. Starting in 2023, when the construction of the main route begins, investments in the Rail Baltica project in Estonia will also grow to several hundred million euros per year.
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