Jõhvi–Narva section of Tallinn–Narva highway may get four lanes in a decade
The Transport Administration has preliminary designs ready for the construction of a four-lane highway between Jõhvi and Narva, but in the best-case scenario, construction may not begin for another ten years.
The last major investment in upgrading the Tallinn–Narva highway in Ida-Viru County was the construction of the Sillamäe grade-separated interchange.
The interchange was completed four years ago and nothing on that scale has been undertaken on the national road since. This year, road surfaces were replaced near Sinimäe and the road maintenance plan includes resurfacing in the Kiviõli area, but nothing more substantial.
According to Anti Palmi, head of the eastern division of the Transport Administration's road maintenance service, the route from Jõhvi to Narva should be a four-lane highway, as traffic volumes remain high — even with the Narva bridge closed.
"Traffic is very dense there: Jõhvi, Kohtla-Järve, Sillamäe and Narva are all closely connected. Likely due to business activity, people travel a lot — not just during morning and evening rush hours, but throughout the entire workday," Palmi said.
There is also an issue in Jõhvi, where traffic volumes continue to grow due to the development of a business park and the lack of a proper bypass is already starting to hinder the growth of the county seat.
Preparatory work for building a four-lane highway has long been underway.
"We've completed preliminary designs. The section from Jõhvi to the Toila intersection is fully ready, so we could begin land acquisition and, if necessary, start preparing a construction tender. There's also a preliminary design for the Sillamäe–Narva section, where we are likewise essentially ready to begin land acquisition and launch the next phase of procurement. In this scope, we're ready to move forward today," Palmi explained.
However, as Palmi confirms, the current national road maintenance plan offers no hope for construction of the Jõhvi–Narva highway. The government is focused on the Tallinn–Pärnu and Tallinn–Tartu routes, leaving the Narva direction out of the picture.
At best, construction of a 2+2 highway might be considered in the second half of the 2030s. For now, the Transport Administration is focusing on repairing and preserving road surfaces in Ida-Viru County to prevent conditions from deteriorating further over the years.
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Editor: Marcus Turovski, Mirjam Mäekivi
