News

The Tallinn Environment and Public Works Department and the Kristiine district government will present the project for the reconstruction of the Tondi and Kotka streets intersection at a public consultation near the Tondi railway station (Tondi 21a) on Wednesday, 30 March at 6 pm.

According to Vladimir Svet, Tallinn Deputy Mayor for the environment and public works, improving traffic safety is the main objective of the project. “The Tondi railway crossing is to be built on two levels to make it safer for pedestrians as well as for everyone else. Currently, the railway and the road cross at the same level and it is quite difficult for trucks and buses to make a right turn. Converting the crossing to a two-level junction would significantly improve road safety and comfort. Several other improvements are also planned, such as the installation of a traffic light at the junction,” explained Svet. “At the public consultation, we wish to present the city’s plans to the community to get feedback to the project as it is currently planned and listen to suggestions for possible improvements. But the upgrades will certainly affect thousands of other road users for whom this junction is important, so we are looking for feedback from them too.”

Kristiine district elder Jaanus Riibe said that the project will add value to the city’s wider living environment. “This area is developing very fast. In 2018, Tondi Street was renovated in the stretch from Linnu Road to Kotka Street, and in 2020, a new and modern school building was opened there, and now the next step is a multi-level intersection. Even now, the Tondi settlement is undergoing a dynamic development, with old buildings being renovated and new ones being built, which will shape the appearance of the settlement in the near future and make the whole area one of the fastest growing and most sought-after residential areas in the city,” said Riibe. “As the construction works will entail, among other things, changes to traffic management, we find it important to discuss the redesign with the residents of the area beforehand.”

According to the project, the reconstruction will cover a 320-metre section on Tondi Street (Lõokese to Alevi) and a 470-metre section on Kotka Street (Tedre to Tondi). The works will also partially affect Pardi, Rähni and Tedre streets. The modifications will provide the necessary turning corridors for long vehicles and allow for three lanes under the proposed railway viaduct. The junction to be reconstructed is designed as a three-arm signal-controlled junction.

The Tondi Street tramway will remain largely unchanged, with only a change in height. Parking for six cars is planned for the Tondi T7 property and for ten cars in front of the Tondi 17 property, separated by a traffic island. The 3 metre wide lanes on Tondi Street are designed with lane widenings (0.5-0.7 m) in the junction area to allow buses and trucks to pass safely. Separate bicycle lanes and footpaths have been designed on both sides of Tondi Street. A new pedestrian crossing will be provided on the city-centre side of the street at Tondi 22.

On Kotka Street, two 3 metre wide lanes are designed throughout, with a half-metre safety barrier between the lane and the kerb. A bicycle lane and sidewalk are planned on the western side of the road and a 1.5 m wide bicycle lane on the eastern side.

Most of the trees and other landscaping on the site will be retained. Trees and shrubs of low value or not suitable for construction, and trees infected with a dangerous Dutch elm disease, will be removed. The removed trees will be replaced by around 40 new trees, including large-leaved lime and shadwoods, as well as hundreds of new shrubs and thousands of herbaceous plants. The remaining trees will undergo maintenance pruning. There is one Grade I tree in the intersection area, which will be preserved by a retaining wall between the tree and the sidewalk.