A roughly 1.3 km section of Mäkelänkatu will be renovated between Kumpulantie and Hämeentie. The project will involve overhauling municipal infrastructure and street structures, replacing urban trees that are in poor condition and improving the traffic arrangements of the street. The end result will be a safer and more pleasant street with space for all modes of transport.
The work is expected to begin in October–November 2025. The work will generate noise and affect traffic in the area. The expected impacts include traffic congestion and changes to public transport. Mäkelänkatu will remain open for traffic throughout the project.
Information about the selected contractor and when the work starts will be provided on this page when the project launch draws nearer.
What will the renovation involve?
Beneath the street surface, water and sewer pipelines, district heating pipes, electricity and telecommunications cables and street structure layers will be overhauled. Stormwater and wastewater drains will be separated, which will help with preparing for potential floods.
Above ground, street surface structures and technical systems, such as traffic lights, lighting and tramway technology, will be overhauled. Tram rails will be overhauled at the Sturenkatu intersection and on the southern side of Sturenkatu.
Cyclists will be separated from other traffic onto designated lanes with the construction of one-way cycling routes south from Kumpulantie. The cycling connections of the nearby streets will also be improved to ensure that cycling arrangements will continue with a high level of quality from Mäkelänkatu onwards.
Cycling routes will also be improved in connection with the renovation of Mäkelänkatu on:
- Lautatarhankatu (Hämeentie – Junatie)
- Hämeentie (Junatie – Allotriankuja)
- Vääksyntie
- Elimäenkatu (Kuortaneenkatu – Mäkelänkatu)
- Sturenkatu (Mäkelänkatu – Hämeentie)
Street crossing arrangements will be overhauled as well. Traffic lights will be added to all crossings along Mäkelänkatu.
The number of motor vehicle lanes will be reduced from three to two. One of the lanes will serve primarily as a bus lane.
Turning left will be prohibited at the Mäkelänkatu and Sturenkatu intersection when driving south, which will improve the smoothness of traffic.
All tramway crossings will feature traffic lights to improve traffic safety and make tram traffic more efficient.
The Rautalammintie pair of stops will be removed to expedite tram traffic. Removing the stops will make walks to the stops slightly longer, but walks to other stops will remain reasonable.
The other tram stops will be overhauled. The tram stops located on the southern side of the Mäkelänrinne, Hattulantie and Vallilantie intersections will be dimensioned for the upcoming light rail trams.
Bus stops will be relocated and combined. Combining stops will improve the efficiency of bus traffic and the clarity of the stop arrangements for passengers, as going forward, all bus lines will stop at the same stops. The stops will be canopied.
he valuable lime tree avenue of Mäkelänkatu will be overhauled in sections with trees in poor condition. The old trees will be removed, the substrate will be replaced and new saplings will be planted to replace the old trees. Slightly over one hundred trees will be removed in total.
The sections in poor condition are located near the tram stops and in the area between Sturenkatu and Nokiankuja.
The most significant reason for the poor condition of the trees is a decline in the quality of the substrate caused by street salting, particularly compression of the substrate. The sections in poor condition will be overhauled as wholes to facilitate replacing their substrate entirely. This will secure the growth and wellbeing of the new saplings. The periodic overhaul process will ensure that the composition of the avenue remains as unified as possible.
The sections of the avenue to be preserved will undergo a light substrate overhaul. Tree maintenance and the monitoring of the condition of the trees will continue.
The condition of the trees and the substrate has been established with thorough examinations. The trees have been examined individually with a decay probe and ultrasound to establish their vitality and decay status. A decline in the condition of the trees can also be observed visually as an increase in dead branches and tops and a decrease in the amount of leaves in the crown. The condition of the substrate has been examined by testing soil samples.