01.11.2022
Construction work on the first crossings of the main route of the Rail Baltica railway in Rapla County has been completed in Kohila rural municipality.
The construction of the Tagadi viaduct, Künka tee viaduct and Loone ecoduct, which began a little over a year ago, was completed in October. These are the first Rail Baltica facilities to be completed under the management of Rail Baltic Estonia OÜ.
"We are pleased that the objects we started building a year ago have been completed on time and that the builders have done an exemplary job despite the difficult challenges. The construction of crossing facilities is also important for the construction of the main Rail Baltica route, as they allow the movement of people and wildlife even during the construction of the railway embankment. Construction work will soon be completed on the Urge and Kalevi ecoducts and the Assaku viaduct on the Tallinn-Tartu highway," said the Chairman of the Board of Rail Baltic Estonia. Anvar Salomets.
To date, over ten objects have been built, are under construction or covered by a construction contract in the Estonian part of Rail Baltica, most of which are located in Rapla County.
Tagadi Road Overpass
The Tagadi road connects the Tallinn-Rapla-Türi highway and the villages of Kurtna and Kohila. The newly completed viaduct, one of several main railway intersections in Rapla County, resolves the intersection of the new railway line with the regional highway and maintains existing connections.
The Tagadi viaduct is a complete concrete structure with a total length of 75m. The total width of the viaduct is 9,4m, providing two 3,5m wide lanes and on both sides of the roadway
There are 1,2m wide maintenance areas separated by fences. There is a safety fence at the edges of the viaduct.
The project included the construction of land improvement systems (ditches, culverts) around the area and the construction of access and maintenance roads for the future railway. After the construction of the viaduct and simultaneously with the construction of the railway, landscaped animal paths will be built under the viaduct.
Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196310824@N08/albums/72177720303336849
Loone Ecoduct
The Loone ecoduct and the Künka road viaduct were built in the village of Loone, Kohila municipality. The construction sites are located in an area where mainly managed forests, fields and grasslands are located. Individual households are located approximately 500 meters from the construction site.
The ecoduct is 80 meters long and the width of the crossing varies from 70m in the center of the crossing to 80m at its ends. The goal of the ecoduct is to provide safe railway crossing and greater freedom of movement for various wild animals such as moose, wild boars, wolves, bears and foxes, as well as small predators and rodents. For the safety of both the railway itself and the game, wooden fences were installed along the edges of the ecoduct. The 2,6-2,8 meter high fences help to dampen noise, hide train lights and blend the animal crossing with the surrounding nature. The ecoduct ceiling consists of 54 vaulted elements, which are 15 m long.
Landscaping built on an ecoduct:
– 4100 deciduous shrubs and 3700 trees have been planted
– A 20,000 m² meadow plant area was established
– Two shallow frog ponds were established
– 2 lick stones, 2 antler-deepening trees and 300 m of debris were installed as bait for the animals.
Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196310824@N08/albums/72177720302039294
Künka Road Viaduct
Künka road, which belongs to Kohila rural municipality, is located in Loone village and is directly adjacent to agricultural and forest areas. The road connects the Tallinn-Rapla-Türi highway with smaller local roads. The Künka road viaduct allows the local population to move over the railway and maintains existing connections. Similar to the Tagadi road viaduct (located in Urge village), the Künka road viaduct is also a reinforced concrete structure. The total length of the designed viaduct is just over 53 m and the width is 9,4 m. The viaduct has two 3,5 m wide asphalt-paved lanes and 1,3 m wide maintenance areas separated by fences at the edges of the viaduct. Protective barriers were installed at the edges of the viaduct. A higher vandal-proof fence was installed immediately above the railway line. During the construction work on Künka road, existing utility networks were relocated and railway access and maintenance road exits were built. When the viaduct was built, the intersections with the electricity network were rebuilt along with a substation.
The Künka road viaduct and the Loone ecoduct were built by AS YIT Eesti and the Tagadi road viaduct by AS TREV-2 Grupp. The total cost of the construction of the Loone ecoduct and the Künka road viaduct is 5,3 million euros. The construction cost of the Tagadi road viaduct was approximately 2,7 million euros. At the end of October, the Tagadi and Künka road viaducts were opened to car traffic.
Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196310824@N08/albums/72177720302028295
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