Kuldar Leis said that 288 million euros were planned for road maintenance next year. Now there is about 14 million euros less for this purpose. This means the completion of some projects will be delayed.
The Road Administration will start compiling the road maintenance plan when the state budget is approved by the parliament. Then it will become clearer which roads will be postponed or brought forward.
Priit Kuldsaar, head of the Estonian Infrastructure Construction Association, says daily road maintenance will remain roughly the same. The reduction mainly affects preservation measures.
According to the state's 2025 analysis, an average of about 372 million euros per year would be needed for state road maintenance from 2026 to 2029. Currently, the plan allocates an average of 257 million euros for this purpose.
The biggest shortfall is in maintaining existing roads. Approximately 220 million euros per year are needed, but only 137 million euros are planned.
Kuldsaar explained that the currently valid road maintenance plan allocated 1.028 billion euros for state road maintenance from 2026 to 2029. According to the new plan, 934 million euros are planned for 2027 to 2030.
Reducing funding may prove more expensive in the long run. If surfaces aren't renewed in time, roads deteriorate quickly. Then simple repairs won't suffice, and more expensive reconstruction will be needed.
Therefore, road maintenance requires stable and long-term funding. The picture for 2028-2030 isn't entirely clear yet, as it's unknown how much support will come from the European Union.
Reduced investment means smaller and more unstable workloads. Companies find it difficult to invest in people and new technologies when order volumes are uncertain.
Kuldsaar said that main road development should continue. There's currently much work being done on the Tallinn-Pärnu route, and the next step should focus on the Tallinn-Tartu road as well.
Maintenance of the existing road network shouldn't be neglected. It's important to find a balance between building new roads and repairing existing ones.
Kuldsaar noted that the longer people postpone repairs they can't afford, the more expensive maintaining the same roads will become in the future.
Infrastructure Minister Leis said details of the cuts would become clear later. He mentioned this affects construction more than major projects where work is already underway.
Leis added that more money than ever is being spent on road construction and maintenance. Minor fluctuations aren't catastrophic. The budget process required everyone to tighten their belts, and it was painful for all.