Construction of the Riia-Vaksali intersection reaches a unique phase
Tartu City Government Press Release
14 August / Construction of a kind that has never been performed before in Estonia began on the Riia-Vaksali intersection. On Wednesday, the process of pushing the concrete frame for the pedestrian tunnel through the embankment of the railway dam began.
The square shaped concrete box culverts cast at the beginning of summer have now hardened, and the next important stage in construction can now begin, during which the concrete tunnels weighing 1200 tonnes will be pushed into their proper places through the embankment of the railway dam.
‘The use of a unique and complex tunnelling technology under Estonian conditions is necessary mainly so that railway traffic and urban traffic can continue at this junction with the minimum possible disruption. Traditionally, analogous tunnels are lifted into place with a crane, which in the case of this traffic junction would have meant dismantling the railway for the period required to carry out the lifting work and install the tunnels, as well as closing Riia Street to car traffic,’ explained Deputy Mayor Raimond Tamm.
The tunnels will be pushed into place one at a time, with about a week being required to get one tunnel in place. Once the tunnels are in their proper places, they will be finished from the inside. After the insertion of the first tunnel, preparations for the construction of the foundations of the light traffic viaduct will begin. During the course of the works, current traffic management at the intersection will be maintained.
Reconstruction of the Riia-Vaksali Street intersection began in April. The goal of the construction work is to make the area safer and more comfortable for cycle and pedestrian track users. The basis for the intersection reconstruction project is the preliminary design documentation prepared by Tinter-Projekt OÜ, which takes into consideration “Sindlinahk” (Part OÜ) the winning work from the design competition. The expected deadline for the completion of the works is the beginning of 2022, with the works being performed by AS TREV-2 Grupp.
Last changed 14.08.2020
