TALLINN - For years, residents of Saaremaa island have been taunted with promises of a bridge or tunnel to the mainland. Now, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications said it will launch an environmental impact study into building a "fixed link" to the island.
A ministry spokesman said it would call for tenders from groups interested in carrying out an environmental impact study in March.
The study would commence in July, and researchers would be asked to present their findings to the government in autumn, 2008.
The study follows the establishment of an expert committee, which in 2003 was tasked with considering the idea of building a Saaremaa link.
However, the environmental study is only the first step in a long process that must be carried out before any decision can be made.
As well as the potential environmental impact, the feasibility and cost of such a link must be analyzed.
The ministry spokesman said it would take approximately three years to build any fixed link to Saaremaa.
"The vision of the expert committee is that the building of the bridge, if the government decides to do so, could be started in 2011 or 2012, and would last for about three years. But it all depends on the government's decision, which will be made in autumn 2008," the spokesman said.
Saaremaa 's the large rural island off Estonia's west coast 's is home to about 40,000 people, but it hosts tens of thousands of holidaymakers during the tourist season.
It is currently linked to the mainland by a fleet of ferries, but motorists often complain about having to endure lengthy lines while waiting to board in peak times.
Many are skeptical about the much-mooted bridge or tunnel ever being built, due to the immense cost and limited benefit of such a project.
