PHOTOS AND VIDEO ⟩ Defense Forces Blasted a Bridge on the Tallinn-Pärnu Highway

On Wednesday night, the Estonian Defense Forces’ Engineer Battalion demolished the Kanama bridge on the Tallinn-Pärnu highway, which the Transport Administration plans to rebuild with significantly higher load-bearing capacity.

The demolition of the bridge, set for deconstruction, provided the Defense Forces with experience in organizing delaying actions at tactical support points. Blasting the bridge also shortened the time required for the demolition work.

The demolition operation was led by Captain Urmas Tonto from the 1st Infantry Brigade’s Engineer Battalion. According to him, one of the battalion's tasks is to impede or halt the enemy’s advance while ensuring movement for their own units. The Kanama bridge demolition offers an excellent opportunity to practice these tasks in real-life conditions.

Alongside the Engineer Battalion, British engineers from the NATO battle group stationed in Tapa and members of the Western District of the Estonian Defense League participated in the preparations for the demolition.

Olari Valter, bridge analyst for the Transport Administration, noted that after reconstruction, the bridge’s load capacity will increase from the previous 80 tons to 360 tons. The new bridge will allow for the transportation of Defense Forces equipment and special loads.