The Vuosaari tunnel will be closed at the beginning of next year for extensive renovations, with traffic diverted to the official substitute route. Multiple sections of the substitute route have been upgraded over the past year, and the currently tested substitute route is ready for diverted tunnel traffic next year. How did traffic flow during the test week, and what consideration are there for next year's traffic? Learn more in the following article.
The Vuosaari tunnel is due for extensive renovations beginning on 6 January 2026, during which all of its technical systems and tunnel structures will be upgraded. The tunnel will be completely closed to traffic for about a year due to the construction work and its traffic diverted to the official substitute route. The route runs along Itäväylä, Kallvikintie and Niinisaarentie to Vuosaari Harbour.
“The official substitute route for the Vuosaari tunnel is now ready for diverted traffic. The route has been upgraded with additional lanes, improved roundabouts as well as updated traffic light control and lane planning. In addition, winter maintenance has been raised to the highest level, and dedicated maintenance equipment has been assigned on the route,” explains Fintraffic Project Manager Jukka Värri.
Real traffic tests for the substitute route were conducted at the beginning of October
Traffic tests for the substitute route of the Vuosaari road tunnel were conducted on 6–9 October. These tests were intended to ensure as smooth a flow of traffic as possible while the tunnel is closed next year. The substitute route was traffic-tested for the first time with all of next year's organisation of traffic.
Traffic volumes during the day east of Kallvikintie in Itäväylä was 24,500 vehicles on the test days, nearly twice the normal volume (15,500). At 21,000 vehicles, traffic on Kallvikintie was nearly doubled (11,200).
“Traffic flowed reasonably well and as expected. Journey times from the harbour to the Itäväylä interchange varied between 7–8 minutes, with 13-minute journey times at peak hours. Road users should take this into account beginning in January,” Värri continues.
Test week results:
- Off-peak journey times from Vuosaari Harbour along Satamakaari–Niinisaarentie–Kallvikintie–Itäväylä–Itäväylä interchange were 7–8 minutes.
- During the afternoon rush hour on 7 October, the journey from the Itäväylä interchange to the harbour took approximately 13 minutes, with additional congestion on Ring Road III. In the afternoon rush hour on 8 October, driving from the Itäväylä interchange to the harbour took 2 minutes less, i.e. approximately 11 minutes. This can partly be explained by an extended green light east of Kallvikintie based on tests results on 7 October.
- Incoming traffic along Fallpakantie in the morning on 7 November peaked between 7:45 and 8:00, during which left-turning traffic had to wait a few seconds up to two minutes. Typical waiting times lasted a little under or over a minute.
- Traffic turning east from Kallvikintie to Itäväylä, “freely to the right”, was able to safely merge to Itäväylä. During peak afternoon hours, turning traffic slowed down traffic along time main direction of Itäväylä by the merging lane after the traffic lights, but the traffic light crossing remained unaffected. Traffic on other sections of the substitute route flowed mostly smoothly and according to the speed limit (40 km/h). Traffic along Kallvikintie and Niinisaarentie flowed significantly better than in June tests.
Testing of the alternate route involved various measuring points on the ground and driving through the route regularly with other traffic. Other sources of data include drone footage, Fintraffic traffic measurement stations and cameras, and routing data. Particular points for observation were traffic flows during peak hours, pedestrian crossings, and functioning of the intersections.
Project information:
The Vuosaari road tunnel runs from the Ring Road III interchange on Itäväylä to Vuosaari harbour. The tunnel is about 1.5 kilometres long with two lanes in each direction. Vehicles travelling in different directions drive in their own tunnel tubes. On average, around 7,650 cars and 2,700 heavy goods vehicles pass through the tunnel every day. The tunnel opened in 2008 and more than half of its traffic is port traffic.
The tunnel project has been a joint effort by many actors. Fintraffic has engaged in close cooperation with the City of Helsinki and the ELY Centre for Uusimaa, which have been responsible for planning the substitute route. During the planning phase, a lot of cooperation has also been carried out with the Vuosaari harbour, as more than half of the tunnel traffic is related to harbour operations. Efforts have been made to distribute information on the tunnel closure as early as possible to the area’s residents. Local companies and early childhood education and care actors have also been provided information well in advance about the impacts of the tunnel closure to ensure the smooth running of everyday life in the best possible way.
Follow the project here.
