Plans are being finalised for the €300 million harbour tunnel project for Finland’s capital, Helsinki. The 2km tunnel will link Jätkäsaari and Länsiväylä and will help to lower traffic congestion in the area around West Harbour and the Jätkäsaari district. It will allow easier vehicle access to and from the West Harbour (Länsisatama) and Länsiväylä.
New traffic plans are being discussed by the Helsinki Urban Environment Board and the city board. The tunnel will help to reduce disturbance to residents in the area, with extensive sound mitigation included for Lauttasaari and Maamonlahdentie as part of the project. Environmental protection also forms part of the work, to meet the needs of the Helsinki Nature Conservation Association.
The project is being financed by Port of Helsinki and is due for completion in the early 2030s. The work will allow the Port of Helsinki to concentrate passenger and car ferry traffic coming from or heading to Tallinn through West Harbour.
The harbour tunnel is one of several road tunnel connections built in and around Helsinki. The geological conditions in the city are favourable to the use of conventional tunnelling techniques, while the country has long been a leader in the production of drilling and tunnelling equipment.
