Road funding cuts could make future repairs more expensive

Reductions in funding for state road maintenance could make repairs more expensive in the long run, Priit Kuldsaar, head of the Estonian Association of Infrastructure Construction, told ERR. Infrastructure Minister Kuldar Leis said some projects would be delayed, but none would be cancelled.

Leis said 288 million euros had been planned for road maintenance next year. Under the revised plan, funding will be about 14 million euros lower, delaying the completion of some projects. The Transport Administration will draw up the road maintenance plan after Parliament approves the budget, when it will become clear which projects will be postponed or moved forward.

Kuldsaar said routine road maintenance was expected to remain broadly unchanged, with much of the cut falling on measures to preserve existing roads. A state analysis from 2025 estimated that road maintenance would require an average of about 372 million euros a year in 2026-2029. The current road maintenance plan allocates an average of about 257 million euros annually.

The largest shortfall is in preserving existing roads, Kuldsaar said. That work requires about 220 million euros a year, but roughly 137 million is budgeted, including about 42 million for year-round maintenance.

The current plan allocates a total of 1.028 billion euros for state road maintenance in 2026-2029. The state budget strategy published today lists 934 million euros for 2027-2030. Kuldsaar said the periods were not directly comparable and the detailed annual allocations were not yet known, but the figures continued to show a downward trend in available funding.

Delaying road preservation work could lead to more costly reconstruction later, Kuldsaar said. Freeze-thaw cycles cause roads to deteriorate quickly, and if their surfaces are not renewed in time, routine repairs may no longer be enough.

The funding outlook for 2028-2030 remains uncertain because it is not yet known how much European Union support will be available for Estonian transport infrastructure in the next budget period. Lower investment could also mean less predictable work for construction companies, making it harder for them to invest in staff, equipment and technology, Kuldsaar said.

Kuldsaar said development of main roads should continue, including the 2+2 road projects on the Tallinn-Pärnu and Tallinn-Tartu routes. He said maintaining existing roads should remain a priority alongside new construction, and that postponing preservation work would make repairs more expensive.

Leis said officials were still working out where reconstruction or maintenance could be reduced. He said the cuts would mainly affect construction, not large projects already under way, and that projects would be delayed rather than cancelled.