Traffic signs and cameras were installed by AS Traffest and road weather stations by Kiirwarren KL. OÜ. The Tallinn-Kose 2+2 lane highway section between kilometres 6-40 will become entirely traffic-controlled. "For road users this means speed limits adjusted to weather and traffic conditions and timely traffic information," explained Kristjan Duubas, Development Manager of intelligent transport systems at the Transport Administration.
VMS boards were installed near important intersections on the 1+1 highway section between Mäo and Luhamaa, which will display warning signs if necessary and will also enable detour routes to be displayed in case of road closures.
The dynamic traffic control and informing of road users developed with the project gives the 2+2 highway sections flexibility that enables speed limits corresponding to the weather and traffic conditions to be implemented. It also allows for higher speed limits in winter, up to 110 km/h, if the driving conditions are good, which saves considerably on driving time.
All of the installed traffic signs are connected to the Transport Administration’s central system, which is operated by the Administration`s road traffic control centre. Traffic sign displays will also be shown in real-time on the website Tark Tee.
"Thanks to variable message signs, road users will be quickly notified about dangerous situations and traffic obstructions," said Duubas. He believes that the new electronic traffic signs will be visible to all road users and will help road owners to communicate with road users in the safest way by giving them the necessary information in time and in the right place.
Project SMART E263/E77 is a cross-border joint project, in the course of which the Transport Administration together with the Latvian Road Traffic Safety Directorate (CSDD) create smart traffic solutions. With the help of smart solutions, driving time will be reduced on the entire route by 0.8% and on the 2+2 highway sections by 5.6%; in addition, traffic safety will be improved in the entire Tallinn–Tartu–Luhamaa–Riia transport corridor.
The total budget of the project is 2,597,242 euros, which is co-funded by the Central Baltic Programme (ERDF) in the sum of 2,103,766 euros. The duration of the project is 1 June 2020 – 30 November 2022.
