Last October, the Estonian government decided to close two sections of the Saatse–Ulitina road which connects the southern towns of Värska and Saatse. The decision came in response to the sighting of armed, uniformed men on the road, which passes through Russian territory.

The Transport Administration has now been tasked with constructing two bypass roads to ensure traffic in the area no longer crosses the border into Russia.

With negotiations underway to acquire the necessary land, the announcement of a construction tender, and the need to clear a corridor of the forest while complying with environmental regulations, the race is now on to complete the new bypass roads before the fall.

The first section of road will stretch approximately five kilometers around the so-called "large boot." The second is a much smaller section of a few hundred meters in length, circumnavigating the Lutepää triangle, or the "small boot." The contractor for the latter has already been confirmed, with work able to begin in April.

The design plans for the bypass around the "large boot" were completed this week. The Transport Administration is now in negotiations with private landowners to acquire the land necessary for road construction, in parallel with the announcement of the construction tender.

"Assessments are being made and, depending on the need, we will either purchase the entire property or make separate purchases. The cooperation with most landowners has been very good. There are a few exceptions with whom cooperation is more difficult, perhaps because some people have too high expectations regarding the price of the land," said Janar Taal, head of the Transport Administration's southern department.

The construction of the detour roads affects approximately 15 private landowners in the area. Toomas Tarve owns two properties in the area where the detour roads are planned to be constructed.

"When I explained the conditions under which I would agree to this, we reached a solid compromise," Tarve told ERR. "It will divide the existing property into several parts so that I can move from one part to another without damaging the future road," he explained.

As the new road also runs through the Mustoja nature reserve, a Natura 2000 environmental assessment had to be carried out, resulting in the requirement to relocate protected species identified in the area.

"Two protected species were found there, though in very few habitats. Eastern pasqueflower (Palu-karukell), dianthus arenarius or "sand pink," as well as three types of wood ants. The ants nests must be relocated and the plants replanted before construction work begins," said Rainer Vakra, director general of the Estonian Environmental Board.

According to the Transport Administration, the work provides a complex challenge, as many different processes have coincided. It believes the most important thing now is to clear the forest corridor needed for the road construction – a total of 11–12 hectares – before the logging ban comes into force.

"The forest will be cleared by the State Forest Management Center (RMK), but as not all the land has been acquired, we have to take action ourselves. That is the key point – once the forest has been cleared, it will be possible to complete the road by the autumn," said Taal.

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