To the average passerby, it seems that the long-awaited Pollinator Highway (Putukaväil) is finally complete. There are all kinds of playgrounds, each more impressive than the last — only, you still can't access them.

The Pollinator Highway was supposed to be finished by April, but construction has dragged on for half a year. According to Tallinn's Urban Environment and Public Works Department, the delay was due to some work having to be carried out during the winter months.

"The pathways there — those pedestrian trails — can be opened for use, but all the playground equipment and exercise machines require a usage permit," said Elari Udam, head of maintenance services at the department.

The contractor has promised to submit the permit application by the end of July and Udam said the city aims to issue the permit as soon as possible. There are no plans to time the opening for the run-up to October's elections.

Architectural historian Karin Paulus said the former wasteland has been turned into a public space with a variety of features. She's especially fond of the revamped community garden with a stage, as well as the design motifs inspired by the high-voltage power lines.

"In a way, large-scale projects like this raise our expectations. Perhaps it would have been possible to preserve even more of the lush greenery that was here before, and on the other hand, there's arguably a bit too much asphalt and paving," Paulus said.

However, local opinions on the Pollinator Highway vary widely.

"It's awful. I want to see beautiful nature, not these ugly weeds. It was a mess here before too, but now it's even worse. At least the paths are tidy and clean," said Ly, a resident of Pelguranna.

"I'm personally really happy with it. It was supposed to be ready a little earlier, but now it finally is. What more could you want in your backyard than a nice spot like this?" said another local resident, who gave his name as Milleenium.

He visits the Pollinator Highway nearly every day, whether for walking, cycling or sunbathing. He finds the material of the lounge chairs a bit odd, but bringing a blanket from home makes it comfortable.

"There are the grilling spots — I didn't understand how they worked at first, but now I've kind of figured it out. Then the dog areas — I thought they might rebuild those, but they're still there. They could add a net here and then everything would be perfect," he said.

He doesn't understand the complaints about too much asphalt and too little greenery.

"Give it time to take root, that's what I say. The trees will grow. It's still basically a construction site. When you build new apartment buildings, they're not suddenly surrounded by forests either. People always tend to focus on the negative," said Milleenium.

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