The Tampere Tram Pirkkala-Linnainmaa Alliance will start construction of the Härmälänoja and Viinikanlahti bridges and expand the lane arrangements on Hatanpään valtatie
Work of the Tampere Tram Pirkkala-Linnainmaa Alliance is progressing as planned, and new work phases of tramway work will begin in February.
“Work is off to a good start at the beginning of the year and construction will pick up speed during the spring. Next, we will start construction of the Härmälänoja bridge at the municipal border between Pirkkala and Tampere, beginning with reinforcement of the foundations. Renovation of the Viinikanlahti bridge is also underway,” says Sari Valjus, Project Manager of the Tampere Tramway Pirkkala-Linnainmaa Alliance.
Due to the Viinikanlahti bridge works and the municipal engineering works in the area, the western branch of Jokikatu will be closed and there will be new traffic arrangements in the area. Municipal engineering work will continue on Hatanpään valtatie, and the traffic arrangements that limit traffic to one lane per one direction will be expanded. The first phases of the tramway work in Härmälä, Partola and Kaupinlaakso are also progressing according to plan. There are traffic arrangements in place in the vicinity of all of these sites during the work.
“For example, in Härmälä, traffic crossing Nuolialantie is prohibited, with the exception of public transport. Driving to the plots and properties as well as maintenance traffic is permitted as normal,” Valjus reminds.
Public transport runs on normal routes in areas around the construction sites, but bus stops may have to be relocated from time to time as the work progresses. Access to the bus stops and their waiting areas will always be ensured.
Work on the Härmänlänoja and Viinikanlahti bridges will begin along the tramway route
The Pirkkala-Linnainmaa Alliance will start the renovation of the Härmälänoja bridge at the western end of Nuolialantie, at the border between Tampere and Pirkkala, at the beginning of February. Two new bridges will be built over Härmälänoja.
“The wooden pedestrian and cycling bridge was demolished at the beginning of the year, and it will now be replaced by the northern Härmälänoja bridge, which will be used for car, pedestrian and bike traffic. The bridge is expected to be completed in late 2025,” says Sari Valjus.
The bridge work will begin with drilled piling, which will take about three weeks. After that, the next phases at the work site will be sheet piling and driving piles for the scaffolding. These work phases will cause noise in the immediate environment. Piling will start on week 6, and the aim is to carry out the work on weekdays between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. Drilled piling may occasionally also have to be carried out at night if some work phase cannot be carried out safely near traffic. After drilled piling, the construction of the sheet pile walls and piling of the scaffolding will begin. The noisy work phases are estimated to last until the end of March.
“We will inform about noisy work to the properties and various stakeholders in the area of impact. In addition, information can be found in all of our communication channels, such as our website pirkkalalinnainmaa.fi and on social media,” Valjus says.
Construction of the southern Härmälänoja bridge, that will be used by tramways, cars, pedestrians and cyclists in the future, will begin once the bridge on the northern side has been completed. The southern bridge will be completed in 2026.
The work on the new bridge crossing Viinikalahti and the support wall to be built nearby will also begin in February. The bridge work will start at the beginning of February with the construction of the sheet pile wall, excavation and demolition of the surface structures of the old bridge. Demolition of the concrete structures of the bridge will begin in mid-February. Piling work related to the bridge’s substructures will be carried out in March–April. The work will cause noise in the vicinity. The Viinikanlahti bridge will be built in two parts. The west side of the bridge will be built first and will be completed in the autumn of this year. Once the first section has been completed, traffic will be transferred to the new bridge and the construction of the other side of the bridge will begin. The Viinikanlahti Bridge will be equipped for tramways, cars, pedestrians and cyclists. The entire bridge is expected to be completed in the summer of 2026.
Hatanpään valtatie will have more single-lane road sections
The number of work sites on Hatanpään valtatie will increase at the beginning of February as the municipal engineering transfer and renovation work progresses and the bridge works in Viinikanlahti begin. Removal of trees from the tramway construction sites around Hatanpään valtatie will also continue during February.
The west side of the Jokikatu junction will be closed to car traffic on the evening of Tuesday, 4 February. Properties on Jokikatu can be accessed from Tampereen valtatie via Voimakatu. A diversionary route will be provided for car traffic from the southern side of the property on Voimakatu 16 to Jokikatu. Pedestrian traffic from Hatanpään valtatie to Jokikatu will be directed along the northern edge of the junction past the construction site area.
From the Jokikatu junction to the south, the municipal engineering work areas will expand, creating more sections with only a single lane per direction between Jokikatu and Hatanpäänkatu. Pedestrians and cyclists will be directed past the work areas along the eastern side of Hatanpään valtatie. A pedestrian crossing has been removed from the junction between Hatanpään valtatie and Hatanpäänkatu, and a pedestrian crossing for use during work has been provided further west of Hatanpäänkatu.
Between Hatanpään puistokuja and the wastewater treatment plant, the work area is located on the west side of Hatanpään valtatie, and traffic lanes on the east side of the road. There is one lane per direction between Hatanpäänkatu and the wastewater treatment plant. The pedestrian and bicycle lane on the west side of the road is closed between Hatanpäänkatu and the wastewater treatment plant, and traffic directed to the east side.
The aim is to keep the traffic lights and lane arrangements of the junction areas on Hatanpään valtatie in use for as long as possible, but as the work progresses, traffic light controls will also have to be removed from some junctions. Access to properties, companies and services in the area will be ensured during the work. A roundabout will be introduced at the junction between Hatanpään valtatie and Tampereen valtatie in March–April.
In Härmälä, crossing Nuolialantie is only permitted for public transport
In Härmälä, car traffic on Nuolialantie will mainly run on current routes. Crossing the road is only permitted for public transport. Driving to plots and properties on Nuolialantie and maintenance traffic is permitted as usual. A speed limit of 30 km/h is in force during construction along the entire Nuolialantie.
The construction of a support wall is underway south of the Nuolialantie and Hatanpään valtatie junctions. The southern Talvitie junction is closed for both light traffic and cars. The junctions of Tarmonkatu, Taistonkatu and Taunonkatu on the Toivonkatu–Perkiönkatu section of Nuolialantie are also closed. Municipal engineering cables are being transferred and replaced on the closed streets. Due to the work, pedestrian and bike traffic is steered north of Nuolialantie. Car traffic from Nuolialantie to Talvitie, Tarmonkatu, Taistonkatu and Taunonkatu runs through other junctions as well as via Härmälänkatu/Perkiönkatu. The aim is to also maintain pedestrian and cycling access at Tarmonkatu, and the pedestrian and cycling access to Talvitie will be restored as soon as the work allows.
Traffic lights have been removed from the Valmetinkatu junction and a roundabout has been built at the intersection for use during the work. The Nuolialantie pedestrian crossing at Tarmonkatu will be moved slightly further east to Taistonkatu for approximately one month.
During the works, the pedestrian and bicycle lane at Nuolialantie will be located alternately on the southern or northern side of the street. There will be signs regarding the pedestrian and cycling routes during the work. There are pedestrian crossings available at regular intervals and they will be labelled with flashing lights at times when traffic lights are not in use. Access to properties, companies and services in the area will be ensured during the work.
Continued traffic arrangements on Kaartotie in Partola – loading berms will be built for the tram line during the spring
In Partola, the construction of the Kaartotie wastewater line is proceeding as planned. Due to the work, car traffic is routed via Pakkalantie. The intersection between Kaartotie and Naistenmatkantie is open to traffic and provides access to the shops in the area and Mustimäentie. Kaartotie is closed at the apartment buildings located at Kaartotie 3 and 4, and the detached houses in the western part of Kaartotie can be accessed via Pakkalantie. The area’s combined pedestrian and bicycle lane is in use. The work at Kaartotie involves sheet piling and will occasionally cause noise in the area. This work phase is estimated to last until the end of February.
There is a roundabout at the Naistenmatkantie and Nuolialantie junction, and municipal engineering works, such as the construction of waste and water networks, district heating and transverse gas lines under Nuolialantie will begin during the spring.
Trees will be removed from the future construction area on Kenkätie and the southern side of the Rusta commercial property during week 6. After the removal of trees, preloading embankments to compact the soil under the tramline will be built in these areas. The preloading embankments will be in place for approximately one year, after which work on the foundation of the tramway can begin. The work phases will not impact traffic or routes. In all phases of the work, service connections to the Partola-Keskus and the local businesses and shops will be ensured.
Municipal engineering work continues in the Kaupinlaakso construction site area – traffic arrangements during work are in place
On Arvo Ylpön katu, the work area has been extended to the middle of the street, and one of the lanes that turn eastward to Teiskontie may have to close occasionally. The need to close the lane is assessed based on whether excavation work can be carried out safely among the traffic. If the lane has to be closed, traffic on Arvo Ylpön katu will be managed by traffic controllers in order to avoid congestion.
The pedestrian and bicycle lane on the eastern edge of Arvo Ylpön katu is closed. Pedestrian and cycling routes run on the west side of the street and south of the plot at the corner of Arvo Ylpön katu and Lääkärinkatu. The routes of the parking area on the west side are also used for access.
A new wastewater line will be built on the pedestrian and bicycle lane at the northern edge of Lääkärintie. Due to this work, the Niveltie and Lääkärintie junction will be closed until the end of week 6. A diversionary route past the work site is provided for both car traffic as well as pedestrians and cyclists. The Lääkärintie pedestrian and bicycle path has been routed past the work site to a temporary access route via Niveltie. The diversionary route separates pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles from each other and there is a temporary pedestrian crossing where the routes cross. In connection with the construction of the wastewater line, a pedestrian and bicycle route of the planned size will be built and the structural layers replaced. Once the work has been completed, the pedestrian and bicycle path will be opened on a temporarily paved surface. The final surface structures and kerbs will only be installed once the work on Lääkärintie allows it.
Earthworks will begin on Lääkärinkatu, between Arvo Ylpön katu and Tenniskatu, in mid-February. The works include the removal of surface soil from the tram line, soil cuts and the construction of preload embankments to compact the soil. The preload embankments will be in place for approximately six months, after which tramway foundation work can begin in the area.
Connecting bus traffic at the Kauppi campus tram stop will be ensured at all stages of construction. Access to properties, companies and services in the area will be ensured during the work and the functionality of the routes will be enhanced with signs.
Tampere Tramway depot expansion work in progress
The expansion of the Tampere Tramway depot in Hervanta has started as planned. In January, a site office was established in the area and the first work phases began in the wagon storage hall, for example. In February, work on the foundations of a new office building will start in the area.
Currently, the depot plot houses a wagon storage hall, a workshop hall with offices and a power supply station. During the depot expansion work, the storage hall will be expanded from six to nine tracks, the office and social facilities will be expanded by approximately 200 square metres, and new storage, office and social facilities will be built for use by railway infrastructure maintenance. The parking capacity in the depot area will also be increased and the possibility to enable chargers for employees’ electric cars is being looked into. The depot will operate normally during the expansion work.