Although Estonian authorities have not previously identified many problems regarding the capacity of the Via Baltica (E67) route, a bridge that has recently caused issues in Salacgrīva has prompted the Estonian Transport Administration to get in touch with their Latvian counterparts.

"So far, we have not heard from transport companies about capacity issues on the Via Baltica route (which connects Tallinn to Warsaw, crossing Latvia and Lithuania, editor's note). The Transport Administration has asked its Latvian colleagues to provide more detailed information," said Julia Bergstein, Head of the Road Service at the Estonian Ministry of Climate.

She explained that the Estonian Transport Administration works closely with its Latvian and Lithuanian counterparts through the joint non-governmental organisation, the Baltic Road Alliance.

The bridge over the Salaca river in Salacgrīva, which is located on the Via Baltica route, has not been renovated for years, and since the beginning of 2023, vehicles have only been able to cross it in one direction to avoid overloading the ageing structure.

Latvian media report that major traffic jams can build up around public holidays, especially in summer, when the number of personal vehicles increases sharply in addition to heavy goods vehicle traffic.

The Latvian public broadcaster LSM wrote at the end of June about queues of vehicles waiting to cross the bridge during the summer holidays.

A six-kilometre-long queue of cars waiting to cross the bridge apparently formed one weekend in early August, when thousands of Latvians and Lithuanians were on their way to a Weeknd concert in Tallinn.

The bridge has not been renovated for many years because the Limbažu Municipality, which owns it, has been unable to find the necessary funds, and the Latvian Ministry of Transport has refused to take the bridge into its ownership, explains the head of the municipal council, Dagnis Straubergs.

"We have repeatedly asked the ministry to take ownership of the bridge, but it has refused so far. It must be understood that this bridge is of international significance and is part of the TEN-T transport network. The local community is, of course, suffering, but we know that the bridge also serves international transport – both military and civilian," noted D. Straubergs.

Latvia hopes to secure funds for the renovation of the bridge from the EU's military mobility fund, said Ligita Austrupe, Deputy State Secretary of the Ministry of Transport.

Limbažu Municipal Council Chairman Dagnis Straubergs explained that the tender should be announced as a matter of urgency so that construction could begin this year. It is estimated that the work could take a year and a half. However, the issue of funding must be resolved first.

https://news.err.ee/1609066355/estonia-to-ask-latvia-about-salacgriva-bridge