Tallinn mayoral candidates are discussing whether car traffic in Tallinn should go underground. However, experts are divided.
Dago Antov, emeritus professor at Tallinn University of Technology, says the current main street is problematic for everyone – drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists. But going underground may not solve traffic jams. He says the jams simply move elsewhere.
Geologist Erik Puura says building a tunnel could be reasonable, but constructing a metro is very expensive. He explained that a kilometer of metro costs about 50 million euros, which is much more expensive than building roads.
Ain Kendra, a road engineer, says the question is where to build the tunnel. He says the tunnel should connect Reidi tee and Paldiski maantee. Kendra also says that tunnels are needed in the Kopli area.
Dago Antov says the current trend is to abandon tunnels and invest more in public transport. He says transit traffic should be reduced in the city center and public transport should be made faster.
Erik Puura says free public transport costs Tallinn 40 million euros a year. He says this money could be used to build a tunnel. But he also adds that large projects are difficult to implement in Estonia.