The extensive street construction began in the Ruskeasuo and Pikku Huopalahti areas in August 2022. For one year, streets in the work area on both sides of Mannerheimintie, in a busy traffic hub, were repaired. Municipal infrastructure was also replaced. A rail connection was built to the new tram depot in Ruskeasuo.
Tram line 10 returned to its route from Mannerheimintie to Pikku Huopalahti in mid-August. At the same time, traffic arrangements at the intersection of Mannerheimintie, Koroistentie and Korppaanmäentie were restored.
Main improvements from the Ruskeasuo road works
All streets in the contract area received new street structures with surfaces. Sewers, cables and water pipes were also replaced. Small finishing touches will still be made during the autumn. Other renewals include:
- New tram stops on Mannerheimintie (previously at the beginning of Korppaanmäentie)
- The accessibility of pedestrian crossings was improved.
- The Korppaanmäentie tram line was renewed. A new tramway in the middle of the street on Nauvontie and Koroistentie.
- A noise barrier, more than 170 metres long and two metres high, next to Nauvontie dampens the noise from tram traffic in Ruskeasuo allotment garden.
- Mannerheimintie cycle paths replaced with one-way cycle paths. New waiting areas for turning for cyclists.
- A new cycle lane on one side of Korppaanmäentie and Koroistentie and a one-way cycle path on the other side.
Work in an exceptionally challenging place traffic-wise
In terms of traffic, the construction site was in an exceptionally busy area, partly on Mannerheimintie and partly along the streets leading to the Ruskeasuo and Pikku Huopalahti residential areas. In addition, there is a bus depot, a large office building and a sports arena near the construction site.
“We paid special attention to the traffic arrangements so that our work would have as little impact on mobility as possible. Mannerheimintie is the largest collector road in Helsinki. We kept two lanes open in each direction throughout the contract,” says Project Director Antti-Juhani Lehtinen from the Helsinki Urban Environment Division.
The construction required more excavation than expected. The excavation was also slowed down by working in the middle of heavy traffic and close to residential areas. The construction of the water supply service required excavations up to five metres deep in a heavily trafficked area.
The Ruskeasuo street construction site was a medium-sized project in terms of street construction sites in Helsinki, with a total contract budget of approximately EUR 9 million. The contractor was VM Suomalainen Oy.