Merko’s Project Director Tiit Joosti selected Civil Engineer of the Year for 2013

The winner of the 2013 Civil Engineer of the Year competition, which was organised by the Estonian Association of Civil Engineers, is Tiit Joosti, project director at AS Merko Ehitus Eesti, who was selected thanks to his successful management of the construction work at the Ülemiste crossing, where he acted as civil engineer.

Tiit Joosti was selected the winner thanks to his successful management of an exceptional project in the context of Estonia – the Ülemiste crossing – where he was a civil engineer.

The junction consists of a 680-metre-long tunnel for automotive traffic, three tunnels for cyclist and pedestrian use, and a 150-metre overpass. The large-scale construction project was made more complicated by the high water table in the vicinity of Lake Ülemiste and the fact that work took place in an area with heavy traffic flow, an operating train service and live utility lines. The junction has 8.7 km of carriageway and 7 km of non-motorised cycle and pedestrian track, with a total of 155,000 square metres paved with asphalt. At its deepest point, the construction work took place 16 metres below the surface of Lake Ülemiste.

During his successful career, Tiit Joosti has managed other large, complex and socially important construction projects. Among these is the management of the construction of Ämari Air Base, for which he was named Builder of the Year for 2010.

The Estonian Association of Civil Engineers announced the Civil Engineer of the Year competition for the first time with the intention of making the award an annual tradition. The aim of the competition is to demonstrate the value of the profession of civil engineer and to recognise engineers in the construction sector for their outstanding professional achievements.

The Estonian Association of Civil Engineers will reward the winner of Civil Engineer of the Year for 2013 with the opportunity to attend the ICPMA international conference in Helsinki.