"We have serious complaints about the contractor. The deadline was the end of last week. Unfortunately, we've had to note a large number of deficiencies and we will be submitting claims to the contractor to have them corrected," said Elari Udam, head of the Urban Environment and Public Works Department's service division at the city.

The renovation work on Lastekodu tänav was carried out by AS TREF Nord and Magma AS, under contract with the department. Construction oversight was provided by TPJ Inseneribüroo OÜ.

The department is primarily dissatisfied with the quality of the work.

"It seemed to us that the work should have been more intensive over the summer. The pace picked up significantly toward the end, but we believe that came at the expense of quality. We hope the contractor will be able to fix it. At this point, it's too early to say exactly when everything will be resolved," Udam said.

Contractor: Most deficiencies fixed or in the process of being fixed

Jaanus Taro, member of the management board at TREF Nord, called the criticism disappointing, noting that the extensive construction work carried out under the tight conditions of central Tallinn was completed in close cooperation with both the client and the project engineer.

"The quality of the work performed is good and meets all applicable standards. Naturally, with a project of this scale, some minor deficiencies can occur and, in this case, they were mostly caused by damage to already completed work by road users," Taro said in a written comment.

According to Taro, representatives of the client and the engineer conducted a preliminary inspection at the start of last week, during which the deficiencies were recorded. The contractor addressed most of those issues within the same week.

A final inspection took place this Tuesday with participation from both the client and the engineer, after which an additional punch list of remaining minor fixes was compiled, such as adding soil along the edges of some green areas.

Some sunken paving stones were also identified, most of which have already been repaired by the builder. Several manhole covers were also realigned.

"Four slightly sunken manhole covers in the roadway will be left under observation until spring, so that, if needed, the best possible repair method can be applied. None of these minor deficiencies pose any risk to traffic safety or hinder street maintenance," Taro emphasized.

Taro also confirmed that feedback from people with visual impairments was taken into account during the paving corrections and that related additional work would be completed this week.

"Considering that all of the above-mentioned deficiencies amount to less than 0.1 percent of the project scope and that the entire team has done everything possible to ensure the project was completed on time and to a high standard, the client representative's comments are especially regrettable," Taro added.

Expert: Liivalaia and Kristiine intersection repairs need to be better thought out

The upcoming renovations of Liivalaia tänav and the Kristiine intersection — both topics that surfaced ahead of elections — are concrete projects with confirmed European Union funding, said Elari Udam. However, it's still unclear whether scrapping the tram extension will affect the funding decision.

Ain Kendra, a lecturer at Tallinn University of Technology and a certified road engineer, said he would not proceed with the renovation of either Liivalaia or the Kristiine intersection until there's a clear plan for how to redirect traffic during construction.

"The idea of reconstructing the Kristiine roundabout is problematic — it would actually restrict traffic. The current roundabout can handle 7,000 cars per hour, but the [projected] capacity is only about 4,000 to 5,000. So some of the people who can get through now wouldn't be able to under the new layout," Kendra noted.

"In that sense, I understand that the Kristiine roundabout and the Liivalaia tram project have to be considered together. Before anything moves forward, we need to figure out where the people who won't be served by the tram are supposed to go," the road engineer added.

Kendra supports the idea of extending tram service but believes pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure needs a different approach.

"I don't like the idea of running active mobility routes alongside a major thoroughfare. I'd say that, whenever possible, pedestrian and bike traffic should be routed through side streets. Today, I see potential for that along corridors parallel to railway embankments — on Tehnika tänav and near the Tallinn–Keila rail line," he said.

"One tough question is whether e-scooters should be allowed on sidewalks. That's not for the city of Tallinn to decide — it's up to Toompea [the government] and frankly, it's an issue that needs a clear resolution," Kendra emphasized.

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