Transport Board: No major problem with flooding in tunnels
The Estonian Transport Administration has said there are no major problems with flooding despite heavy rain in recent days, and issues have been solved quickly by road maintenance crews.
Heavy rain on Sunday morning caused flooding in the road tunnel between Iru and Loo in Harju County, which runs beneath the Tallinn–Narva highway. Traffic backed up at the tunnel entrance, and at least one car was unable to pass safely through the water because the water level was so high that its engine stalled.
The reconstructed section of road was completed 14 years ago, and within a few months the tunnel experienced its first flood, posing a risk of trapping lower vehicles.
Viktor Kisseljov, head of the Transport Administration's northern department, said the problem was not due to a design flaw.
"This is a localized issue that stems from the fact that the tunnel is located in a very low-lying area, where stormwater from the surrounding area naturally collects. Sometimes the flow of water is so strong that it carries debris from the road into the tunnel, where it accumulates on the grates and clogs the storm drains. I would not say there was any major design error. Rather, the situation simply needs to be monitored continuously, with the drains and grates cleaned regularly," he said.
Kisseljov said flooding of road tunnels or other low-lying sections of road is not a widespread problem across Estonia.
"I assume that every tunnel is equipped with storm drains. The technology may differ depending on whether it is possible to drain rainwater naturally or whether pumps are needed. It depends on how low the tunnel has been built and designed," the Transport Administration representative said.
The official stressed that it is the responsibility of road maintenance contractors to monitor flooding and deal with it, and that this is indeed what they do. That was also the case in the Iru–Loo tunnel on Sunday.
"The Transport Administration's maintenance partner constantly monitors the situation and responds when necessary. Sometimes they inspect the storm drains in advance, and if significant flooding occurs, they respond promptly. To clear blockages or deal with flooding, the grates have to be cleaned manually, which is exactly what our maintenance partner did last Sunday," he said.
Flooding on roads can be reported via the national information hotline 1247.
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Editor: Helen Wright, Mait Ots
