Skip to content
Hailuoto Causeway FAQ
  • The intention is to build a causeway between Riutunkari in Oulu and Huikku in Hailuoto to replace the current ferry connection. The causeway will be built north of the existing ferry route.

    The length of the causeway will be approximately 8.4 kilometres, consisting of an embankment section and two long bridges, Huikku and Riutunkari. The bridge in Huikku will be located approximately one kilometre from Hailuoto. The total length of the bridge will be ca. 770 metres, and its vertical under-clearance will be 18 metres where it crosses the shipping channel. The bridge in Riutunkari will be located to the north of the current ferry port. The bridge's total length will be approximately 740 metres, and the vertical under-clearance of its central opening will be five metres.

     

  • The procurement process was started in October 2021 and the alliance partner was selected in March 2022. The chosen partner group consists of GRK Finland as the constructor and AFRY Finland and A-Insinöörit (f.k.a. Plaana and Ponvia) as the designers.

    Vaasa Administrative Court rejected the appeal against the project's water permit in December 2022. The decision has been appealed to the Supreme Administrative Court in February 2023. The advantage of the alliance model is that the waiting period could be used to prepare the project together with the alliance partner.

  • The procurement includes the implementation of the entire project as an alliance contract. The alliance includes a development phase, including the planning of the construction, an implementation phase where the connection is built, and a five-year warranty period.

  • The development phase of the project started in spring 2022. The construction can begin in autumn 2023 at the earliest. It is expected to take about three years, depending on, for instance, the time of year in which the work can be started.

  • The Finnish Parliament decided that the funding model would be changed from PPP to a development project with budget funding.

    In the alliance model, the project can be put out to tender, and the development phase, including the planning of the construction, can be carried out during the processing of the water permit appeal. Thus, the project can be advanced already during the appeal period.

    The alliance model is well suited for demanding projects that require particularly good cooperation between the various contracting parties. For example, the contractor is involved in the planning phase along with the designer and the client. The aim is both to improve the productivity of construction and to manufacture the final product (causeway) quickly, with high quality and as cost-effectively as possible.

  • The alliance model is a form of implementation based on close cooperation between the various parties of a construction project. The key contracting parties, i.e. the client, the building consultant, the designers and the contractor, form a joint organization and are jointly responsible for planning and implementing the project. In an alliance, transparency and common decision-making are main principles.

    The goals of the alliance parties are aimed at serving the goals of the entire project through a commercial model that rewards or sanctions the project parties equally, according to the completion of the project in relation to pre-defined cost and key performance targets.

  • The authorization granted to the project by the Parliament is EUR 121 million. The project is funded by the state, and the FTIA is responsible for implementing the project.

  • Currently, the traffic service level in Hailuoto is lower than in the rest of the region due to the ferry crossing times and the lack of night traffic. The causeway is important for vitality, security and functioning transport in the area.

    In addition to the poor level of traffic service, the ferry connection is expensive. Delays cost taxpayers € 8–10 million each year, largely due to ferry costs.

  • This will be taken into account in the planning and execution of the work. Disruptions to traffic will be minimized and traffic will be secured on both the ferries and the road 816.

  • Some of the materials are transported by water. The transports are coordinated with other water traffic. The waterways will remain in normal use during the project. A boating access through both bridge construction sites will be provided.

    Ferry traffic is secured during the construction, and it is taken into account in all operations.

  • The construction causes some turbidity, which has been considered in the water permit’s terms. The turbidity is monitored regularly for example by aerial photography. In addition, a close dialogue is maintained with environmental authorities.

  • In the plans, the causeway has been designed to fit the surrounding landscape as well as possible. The design takes the area's vulnerable and protected ecosystem in consideration. In addition, the structural solutions are adapted to the demanding sea conditions.

  • A wide range of new environmental surveys and flow modelling were carried out and previous studies consulted during the planning process. The project will change the environment locally but will not cause any notable harm to protected sites or environmental values. Direct impacts on the sea and its immediate surroundings will be minor. Protecting the environment is one of the most important objectives of risk management during the project.

  • Fisheries monitoring and planting of fry will be excecuted in accordance with the water permit decision, and dialogue will be maintained with environmental authorities. Loss of profits in fishery will be compensated.

  • The Hailuoto project is estimated to generate about 500–600 person-years of employment in construction. In addition, the indirect employment effects on the region's economy are significant.

  • The cross-section of the road has been defined in accordance with general guidelines, taking traffic volumes into account.

    If pedestrian and bicycle traffic is separated from vehicular traffic, an intermediate lane must be built between the roadway and the pedestrian and bicycle path. The lane would require widening of the embankment and the bridges, which would increase construction costs significantly.

    Recreational and tourist cycling takes mainly place in the summer season. The aim of the chosen solution is to optimize costs, in accordance with the number of road users.

  • The speed limit on the causeway will be 80 km / h. Due to the area's operations at the Riuttu end on Oulunsalo side, the speed limit is 60 km / h.

  • The average annual traffic is currently about 1,000 vehicles per day, of which heavy traffic accounts for about five percent.

    The causeway is expected to increase traffic by about 400 vehicles per day.