Saaremaa–Hiiumaa ice road fully closed for winter
An official ice road linking Estonia's two largest islands has been closed for good for this winter, after less than three weeks in operation.
The Transport Administration declared the 17-kilometer-long road linking Saaremaa and Hiiumaa, which opened on February 8, closed for the season, following the arrival of milder conditions.
The ice route, connecting Tärkma (Hiiumaa) and Triigi (Saaremaa) across the Väinameri strait, had been opened after members of the public had been using unofficial ice routes, leading to safety concerns.
The route had already been temporarily closed on February 15 after cracks had been observed forming.
The other two official ice routes, between the island of Kihnu and the mainland and between Vormsi and the mainland, were also closed at the weekend, though there is scope for these latter two routes to be reopened.
"This year, after several years, there was once again the exceptional opportunity to open as many as three ice roads. The construction of the ice roads was supported by a long cold period that increased the ice to the required thickness. Now, however, weather conditions have changed so that one ice road must be closed permanently, as seawater has risen onto the ice and traffic is no longer safe," said Hannes Vaidla, head of the western department of the Transport Administration.
In the case of the Vormsi ice road, this will likely follow a different route, if it does reopen.
All three ice roads are maintained by Verston Eesti OÜ, with traffic lights, signage and marker tape used. Normal rules of the highway apply, with some modifications: Both maximum and minimum speed limits apply, and seatbelts must not be worn. In the case of unofficial ice roads, if a vehicle were lost, as happened off the coast of Finland recently (link in Swedish), vehicle insurance policies would likely be null and void.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte
