Vuosaari road tunnel security systems nearing end of their life cycle: repairs to start in 2025

The safety and traffic management technology in the road tunnel leading to the Vuosaari Harbour in Helsinki is coming to the end of its life cycle and is to be renewed. The planned construction work in the tunnel will begin in 2025. This means that the tunnel will have to be temporarily closed for longer periods of time. The ELY Centre and Fintraffic are currently preparing for the implementation of the project. Different options for minimising disruption to transport are being sought together with the City of Helsinki and the Port of Helsinki. The main detour will be the present substitute route for the tunnel: Itäväylä–Kallvikintie–Niinisaarentie–Vuosaari Harbour.

“To ensure that the Vuosaari road tunnel, which was taken into use in 2008, can continue to operate safely and without glitches, the technical systems that are essential for the tunnel's safety will need a complete overhaul. The extensive repairs will unfortunately cause problems for traffic in the area, as the tunnel will need to be closed. We are currently working closely with the City of Helsinki, the Port of Helsinki, and other authorities to find ways to minimise the shut-down time and to ensure that the temporary measures will function as well as possible”, says Service Director Riku Suursalmi of the Traffic Management Company Fintraffic which is responsible for the implementation phase of the project. 

Goal: smooth and safe flow of harbour traffic

The goal of the planned modernisation of the tunnel technology is to ensure undisturbed harbour transport and other traffic in the area, as well as safety in the tunnel.

In the project, renovation work linked with the life cycle of the tunnel's technology and structures will be carried out, as well as the renewal of the tunnel's fire alarm, smoke removal, ventilation, firewater, and fault notification systems, and illumination, and camera and traffic management systems. 

The project also includes repairing tunnel structures and renewing the systems for drying and firewater running beneath the tunnel. Meanwhile, a modern problem detection system capable of learning, and variable energy-efficient LED illumination will be introduced, as well as tunnel fans for improved air quality and smoke removal.

Traffic arrangements during the repairs will be clarified in the planning of the construction and the phases of the work where ways will be sought to minimise interference with traffic. Occasional complete closures of the tunnel will be needed because two-way traffic in a single tunnel tube was precluded by the guidance systems that were installed when the Vuosaari tunnel was built in the early 2000s. The safety of long highway tunnels is guided both by regulations set by officials as well as requirements at EU level (the so-called Tunnel Directive), which also need to be followed during the repair work.

When the tunnel is closed, the current backup route – Itäväylä–Kallvikintie–Niinisaarentie–Vuosaari Harbour – will serve as a detour. Before the repair work gets started, the flow and safety of the detour is to be improved in places such as interchanges and pedestrian crossings. 

Background information:

Opened in 2008, the Vuosaari road tunnel runs from the Kehä III interchange on Itäväylä to Vuosaari Harbour. More than half of the traffic in the tunnel is harbour traffic. The tunnel is about 1.5 kilometres long with two separate two-lane tubes running in opposite directions. 

The renewal of safety and traffic management technology in the Vuosaari road tunnel has been communicated as early as possible so that the various parties can prepare for it well in advance. The ongoing general planning phase is the responsibility of the Uusimaa ELY Centre. Fintraffic will be the contractor responsible for the tunnel renovation. When the solutions for the work are announced in greater detail, information and interactive events will be organised for the various stakeholders on the scheduling and traffic arrangements of the project. 

Further information:

Fintraffic Communications Manager, Outi Huhtala, outi.huhtala(at)fintraffic.fi