Mustvee alternate airfield Infrastructure

The emergency airfield located in the Kasepää area near Mustvee is an example of airfield sections built on highways during the Cold War. In the 1970s, a straight section of highway was built significantly wider than a regular road so that it could be used as a landing and take-off runway for military aircraft if necessary. Separate extensions or “pockets” were built next to the road for aircraft parking. Similar emergency road airfields were also built in Estonia in the Jägala, Vatla and Järvepalu areas. The road section, which has a modest impact on normal traffic, is a good example of how military infrastructure was hidden within civilian infrastructure during the Soviet era.