A tram on Mannerheimintie in early September. The street renovation is nearly complete, with only final adjustments remaining.
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The City of Helsinki has announced the early completion of its largest-ever street reconstruction project. The renovation of Mannerheimintie, originally scheduled to finish at the end of 2025, will now be completed by the end of September, three months ahead of schedule.
The second phase of tram traffic resumed between Runeberginkatu and Reijolankatu on Monday, 8 September.
The overhaul began in spring 2023 and included a full renewal of underground and above-ground infrastructure.
During the works, old water mains dating back to the 1870s were replaced. Stormwater drainage, electricity lines, and other municipal systems were also updated.
According to Antti-Juhani Lehtinen, project manager at the City of Helsinki, advance preparation work on adjacent streets allowed for faster completion in the second phase.
“We started building the water infrastructure on side streets one year earlier than planned. That allowed us to move quickly when constructing the main pipeline along Mannerheimintie,” Lehtinen said.
A mild winter enabled earlier-than-expected progress on weather-sensitive construction stages in spring 2025. The contractor for the project was VM Suomalainen Oy. The project was carried out as a construction management contract.
Once reopened, Mannerheimintie will accommodate all modes of transport. As before, there will be two traffic lanes in each direction, with one lane reserved for buses.
Changes were also made to surrounding side streets. Ruusankatu, Savilankatu and Sallinkatu were converted into one-way streets towards Mannerheimintie. This allowed for the addition of parking spaces, new street trees, and climbing plant structures.
The tramway infrastructure was upgraded to meet future light rail standards, including the requirements for the planned Western Trams (Länsiratikat). The accessibility of stops was improved, and green roofs were installed on the stop shelters.
New unidirectional cycle paths were built along the street, separated from both motor traffic and pedestrian areas. The new lanes aim to improve cyclist safety and integrate with Helsinki’s inner-city cycling network.
Final surface work, including paving and road markings, will be completed during September. Additional work will continue near the new public square at the Humalistonkatu end of the street.
Tree planting will take place in October, which is the optimal season for establishing new trees. Linden trees will be planted on Mannerheimintie and Toivonkatu. Pillar-shaped black alders will be planted on Ruusankatu and Savilankatu.
HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
