Bitumen shortages leave Estonia short of asphalt, Järvan says

Estonia is facing an asphalt shortage because suppliers in Sweden and Lithuania have stopped delivering bitumen, Tallinn Deputy Mayor Kristjan Järvan said at a city government press conference on Tuesday, ERR reported.

Estonian companies usually obtain bitumen from suppliers in the two countries. The Swedish supplier has said a shipment that arrived three weeks ago would be its last this year, with deliveries expected to resume in spring. The Lithuanian supplier raised its prices, and its plant then broke down, Järvan said.

Companies with their own asphalt plants are likely to have secured supplies through existing contracts, he said, adding that any surplus asphalt would normally be sold on the open market. But both of Tallinn’s roadwork partners have told the city that asphalt is unavailable.

The city has enough asphalt to complete paving on Liivalaia Street, where work began on Monday, but has extended the project by two weeks. Tallinn will not proceed with plans to mill and repave Viljandi Road and Open Air Museum Road, Järvan said, to avoid leaving the streets dug up over winter without asphalt to replace it.