Major street works will begin in Kallio and Töölö on 11 January 2021, covering three streets along the route of tram No 8. This has also been the inspiration for the project’s Finnish name, Kasin katutyöt (‘No 8 street works’). During the early stages of the work, the trams and buses will run as normal.
The project was named after one of the proposals made in a naming competition.
Initially, when the work begins, the trams and buses will run as normal.
Street works will start on Caloniuksenkatu and in Kallio on Kaarlenkatu and Helsinginkatu on Monday 11 January 2021. This major renovation work will begin with the formation of limited construction sites around small holes dug in the streets, as the first order of business is to replace the water and sewer pipes.
‘Replacing water management elements is slow and risky, because you might run into surprises underground. Therefore, it makes sense to do the work in small sections, causing minimal disruption to the residents and traffic in the area,’ says Project Manager Jyrki Vainionpää from Louhintahiekka Oy, the project’s main contractor.
Work at the Runeberginkatu site will begin in the spring.
In the spring, the construction sites will be expanded considerably. This will cause significant changes to tram transport, but notifications of all new arrangements will be made well in advance.
The plan is for the work to be completed in 2022.
Traffic
safety will improve and underground municipal infrastructure will be renewed
Once the works on Caloniuksenkatu, Runeberginkatu and Helsinginkatu are complete, the tram route No 8 will be faster and better able to keep to its timetable. Pedestrians and cyclists will also be able to use the renovated streets more safely and comfortably. For example, the streets will receive roughly one kilometre of new one-way bike lanes and the zebra crossings will be renovated.
The pipes and cables running under the streets and the street surfaces will also be replaced during the project. The water pipes on Kaarlenkatu were installed in 1909 and the ones on Caloniuksenkatu in 1926. A total of 1,600 metres of new water pipes and 2,000 metres of sewage pipes will be installed.
Investing
in communications
The project derives its name from a competition held on the Urban Environment Division’s social media channels. The city’s residents made around 200 name proposals for the project.
Approximately 20,000 households live near the three project areas, and therefore the city will invest heavily in providing information about the work. A letter will be delivered to all the households on 5 December to inform the residents about the start of the project.
Information is also available from the following sources:
• Facebook:
www.facebook.com/kasinkatutyot(Link leads to external service) – up-to-date information about the project’s progress in Finnish
• Website: www.hel.fi/kasinkatutyot – general information about the project in Finnish
• Notices concerning any night-time work and brief power cuts or disruptions in the water supply will continue to be posted in building hallways.
Furthermore, two resident meetings will be held online to notify the residents of the project’s start. The meeting for residents of Töölö about the works on Caloniuksenkatu will be held on 15 December at 17–18. The meeting for Kallio will be on 15 December at 18–19. More information in Finnish about these meetings and the participation instructions can be found at
www.hel.fi/kasinkatutyot. Questions for the meetings may also be sent in advance via the website www.hel.fi/kerrokantasi.