Tallinn Shelves Pedestrian Bridge at Kristiine Intersection in Redesign Plans

Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, has set aside plans to build pedestrian bridges at the Kristiine intersection in the next few years, while still aiming to improve the area for pedestrians, public transport and cyclists. Deputy Mayor Kristjan Järvan, of the Isamaa party, said so.

The Kristiine intersection has long frustrated road users and is among the crossings with the most accidents in the city. The city government has spent several years preparing its reconstruction, and European Union funding can co-finance the project until 2029.

Järvan said a preliminary design for the junction should be presented soon. The pedestrian bridge idea has been pushed aside. In his words, the bridge does not have to be built in the first phase, but attachment points will be identified so that pedestrians could eventually cross the intersection diagonally, while heavy goods vehicles could still pass underneath.

The city has also dropped the ideas of turning the junction into a roundabout and of diverting public transport onto Madara street. The main changes concern public transport: planning guidelines call for bringing it together in the middle of the street to make transfers easier.

Tulika street

Järvan said a preliminary design for Tulika street, which runs from the Kristiine intersection toward the Põhja-Tallinn district, could be presented as early as next month. Reconstruction has been planned since 2018, when the proposal involved removing one traffic lane. The current plan is a two-plus-one lane layout, so the number of lanes stays the same.

A traffic analysis compared two options: a lane reserved for public transport with a 1+1 layout for cars, or the current 1+2 arrangement. It found that 1+2 would give better travel speeds and less disruption from accidents for all groups of road users. More greenery and bicycle paths will be added.

Endla viaduct tunnels

Another open question is the pedestrian and cycle tunnels beneath the Endla viaduct. Elron, the railway operator, has written to the city saying that work planned for 2028 must be approved by the end of summer 2027 at the latest. The city would ideally build the tunnels in summer 2028, after the Song Festival.