Temperatures in Northern Europe have been so low that Estonian citizens can now drive across a 20-kilometer stretch of frozen sea, connecting the country’s two main islands.
The so-called “ice road” connecting the islands of Saaremaa and Hiiumaa, located in western Estonia between the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Riga, officially opened on Sunday with a queue of cars waiting to use it in the afternoon, reports the Telegraph.
Authorities decided to open the icy road after locals had spontaneously begun crossing the frozen sea, exposing themselves to serious dangers.
Ferries had struggled to maintain regular service on the frozen sea after weeks of temperatures dropping to minus 10 degrees Celsius.
People living on the smaller island of Hiiumaa, with a population of 9,000, travel to Saaremaa, with a population of 31,000, to go shopping, have a cup of coffee or drop their children off at school.
Reaching the largest island also provides connections to mainland Estonia. While the opening of the ice road came out of necessity, Hergo Tasuja, the mayor of Hiiumaa, says it is also “part of our culture.”
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“For generations, the local people who live here, especially those who live near the sea, swim and use boats in the summer. And in the winter, it’s in their blood to go to sea” and go out onto the ice, Tasuja told The Associated Press.
The road is essentially a marked corridor on the frozen sea, where specialists have determined that the ice is thick enough to support the weight of the cars driving it.
However, preparing the road is not easy, said Marek Koppel, a road maintenance supervisor at Verston Eesti, the Estonian construction company responsible for building and managing the icy road.
Workers must measure ice thickness every 100 meters to determine areas with more than 24 centimeters of ice, the minimum required for safety.
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They also smooth out ridges and cracks in the ice. Weather conditions and ice hardness are monitored 24 hours a day and the route is changed accordingly.
A vehicle cannot be heavier than 2.5 tonnes and must be driven either below 20 km/h, or between 40 and 70 km/h – anything in between can create a vibration that damages the ice.
Cars are not allowed to stop and must maintain a safe distance from each other. Passengers cannot wear seat belts and doors must be easy to open, to allow quick egress in the event of an accident.
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According to Tasuja, an ice road was last used to connect the islands about eight years ago. Since then, winters have been very warm.
Verston, the construction company, said authorities have contracted them to open two more ice roads this week, this time connecting mainland Estonia to two smaller islands. /Telegraph