Estonia closing Narva crossing on border with Russia after Ivangorod checkpoint closed for renovations

TALLINN. Feb 1 (Interfax/BNS) - The crossing point in Narva on the Russian-Estonian border will be closed to car traffic from Thursday, but can still be used for crossing the border on foot, the BNS news agency said.

Estonia closed the border crossing for vehicles following Russia's decision to close the Ivangorod road checkpoint for renovations. The Narva-Ivangorod border crossing is expected to remain closed for automobile traffic until the end of 2025.

Bus services between Estonia and Russia via Narva will not be suspended, but passengers will have to cross the border on foot and take another bus on the other side of the border.

The press service for Russia's Northwestern Customs Department said earlier the Ivangorod road checkpoint on the Russian-Estonian border in Russia's Leningrad region would be closed on February 1 for renovations.

The border crossing can still be used by pedestrians, it said.

According to Rosgranstroy, which is in charge of Russia's border infrastructure, most of the work will be completed in two years.

Following the renovations, the Ivangorod road checkpoint will have 16 lanes, two more than before the upgrade. Its throughput capacity for vehicles will increase 22% to 1,860 vehicles per day and for pedestrian traffic by nearly 40% to 11,300 people per day, Rosgranstroy said.

People planning to travel to Estonia can use alternative routes, such as the Shumilkino-Luhamaa and Kunichina Gora-Koidula road checkpoints in the Pskov region. These border crossings operate round-the-clock every day, the Northwestern Customs Department said.