100 stories from the hiking route

2000 – Jõeküla Bridge is built on Põltsamaa River

Information

Topic

Wars and occupations

Coordinates

Long-Lat WGS 84

Latitude: 58.8349833

Longitude: 26.0672

L-EST 97

x: 6523574.3
y: 619354.5

Location

Ähijärve-Aegviidu Hiking route

The new bridge was built in a month and a half during the pioneer exercises “Cornerstone 2000” by the conscripts of the Tartu single infantry battalion and marines from the USA. The carrying capacity of the 35-metre-long and 4.2-metre-wide steel structure bridge is 60 tons.
Jõeküla is a small forest village on the bank of Põltsamaa River. About 10 farms were situated there before the Second World War, the main source of income was cattle farming. The old wooden Jõeküla Bridge was built in 1937. The planks covering the old bridge were so smooth that dance parties were held on the bridge.
The old Jõeküla Bridge was blown up during the war in 1941. During the Soviet era, a narrow footbridge was built upriver from where the old bridge had been.
Põltsamaa River was dredged in the 1950s and a hole, or a so-called cave was dug near the bridge but a bit further away from the river, which was meant for housing and possibly repairing the dredger. It took four men to drive the dredger. Even today, the hole dug for the dredger can be observed in the landscape and has been placed under protection as an object of cultural heritage.