National road 4 improvement, Joutsa

The Joutsa–Kanavuori section of national road 4 (E75) is part of the national main road connection from the metropolitan area via Central Finland to the north of the country. The road plays a vital role both for freight and private traffic.

We made improvements to national road 4, turning 6.7 km of it into a bypass with a central railing. The entire length of the improved section of road was 8.9 km. The road received two 2+1 lane sections of 3.8 km and one 2+2 lane section of 1.5 km. The project also included the construction of connecting roads, pedestrian and bicycle ways, two bridges (a reinforced concrete slab frame bridge and a reinforced concrete cantilever slab bridge) and 12.9 km of road railings. In addition, noise protection was improved with noise barriers and railings: a total of 1.4 km of noise railings and two noise barriers with a total length of 260 m. A total of 295,000 m3 of earth cuts and structural layers were implemented. The project involved 285,000 m2 of paving work. A total of 13.4 km of game fence was also erected on both sides of the road. In the overtaking lane sections of the constructed road section, the speed limit was increased from 80 kph to 100 kph.

As the average daily traffic volume in the project section was approx. 6,900 vehicles, with approx. 14% of heavy traffic, the work took place in challenging circumstances. The work started in 2018, and it was completed in 2020. Only one minor accident occurred during the project, which won a national occupational safety award in an observation competition.

Road and street construction