With frozen seas hampering ferry traffic to the Estonian islands of Saaremaa and Hiiumaa, the country has decided to create an official ice road to prevent risky ice crossings on self-made roads, writes ERR News.
Estonians usually shy away from building ice roads and use ferry traffic, but this winter’s weather conditions left the country’s second-largest island of Hiiumaa with limited access to the rest of the country, so it was decided to allocate about 120,000 euros to create an official ice road.
Before the official road was opened, islanders had already begun crossing the frozen Soela Strait on ice, and dozens of cars were traveling on the ice in early February. Although the route appeared safe on social media, officials warned that the impression was deceptive. It later turned out that the islanders who built the road were very lucky. Hannes Vaidla, head of the Western Region of the Estonian Transport Administration’s road department, said that large sections of the ice road were under 20 centimeters thick. This is far too little to safely cross the frozen sea.
As soon as the official approval for the road was obtained, work began simultaneously from Saaremaa and Hiiumaa. Engineers repeatedly drilled holes to verify the thickness and structure of the ice and assess safety. Vaidla noted that in more difficult areas, the ice is checked on both sides of the road, because it is necessary to understand why the ice is thinner in some places than in others. He emphasized that there is no room for error when building an ice road. So far, everything has gone smoothly, and Vaidla is quite confident that there will be no problems.
The construction of the road required hundreds of markings, traffic control equipment, and constant monitoring.
Verston road maintenance manager Marek Koppel said that crews are ready to install temporary bridges in places where the largest cracks appear. He added that conditions in the morning may be completely different from the previous day.
All ice roads are temporary. Vaidla said that it is clear that the specific route will not be usable all winter, and planners are already looking for an alternative route to use if the existing road cracks and cannot be driven on it.
The Saaremaa-Hiiumaa ice road was officially opened on the morning of the 8th of February from the port of Triigi. Koppel pointed out that strict rules must be followed when using the ice road: seat belts must not be used, a distance of 250 meters must be maintained between cars, and you can drive either at 10-25 kilometers per hour or at a speed of 40-70 kilometers per hour. Vaidla warned against stopping next to cars already parked on the side of the ice road.
The ice road was created as a response to the crisis, but its popularity raises the question of whether Estonia is ready to allocate budget funds to maintain such routes in similar winter conditions. Vaidla responded to the question by saying that he did not think the state would start budgeting for the ice road based on the current situation. However, he added that it is politics, and the way politics and politicians are driven is a smart way to make something happen.
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