The Estonian government closed two sections of the Saatse-Ulitina road that ran through Russian territory in October of last year, prompting the need for a detour. The Transport Administration is currently managing the acquisition of private land needed for the construction of the detour road and concurrently announcing construction tenders. The urgency is heightened as they aim to clear the necessary forest corridor before the nesting season begins.

To resolve the closure issue, the administration plans to build two detour roads: a roughly five-kilometer stretch around the so-called 'great boot' and a shorter section around the Lutepää triangle. Construction for the Lutepää detour is set to commence this April, as a builder has already been secured. Meanwhile, negotiations for the required land for the larger detour project, which was finalized earlier this week, are ongoing.

The process involves evaluations to determine whether they need to purchase entire properties or just sections of land. While cooperation with most landowners has been positive, there are exceptions where negotiations are more complicated, indicating potential delays in the project’s timeline if issues arise with particular stakeholders.