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Estonia Unveils Landmark €1B Plan for Highway Expansion
Estonia's Minister of Infrastructure has initiated the country's largest post-independence road construction program, a multi-year plan to invest over €376 million in building nearly 65 kilometers of four-lane highways connecting the capital with Tartu and Pärnu by 2035.
- —Estonia's Minister of Infrastructure Kuldar Leis has initiated the National Road Maintenance and Development Plan for 2026–2029, which includes the largest four-lane highway construction program in the country's post-re-independence history.
- —The plan aims to build nearly 65 kilometers of four-lane roads towards Tartu and Pärnu, with a target completion date of 2035 for both routes.
- —Over the next four years, more than €376 million will be invested in expanding major highways to four lanes, with approximately 45 kilometers planned for the Pärnu route and 20 kilometers for the Tartu route.
- —The state has allocated €281.4 million for road maintenance in the current year, with a total of over €1 billion planned across the four-year period, including anticipated funds from a new motor vehicle tax.
- —Beyond the Tartu and Pärnu routes, plans are underway for special planning processes for the Haljala–Kukruse section towards Narva and the Uulu–Ikla section.
Recap
Estonia's national road plan is a strategic investment in economic connectivity, not merely a construction project. The massive financial commitment, backed by a new motor vehicle tax, signals a long-term vision to modernize the country's core transport arteries. The success of the Tartu and Pärnu routes will serve as a blueprint for a national overhaul, but the project's ambitious 2035 timeline remains dependent on consistent political will and securing external financing.