The plan is to build a causeway between Riutunkari in Oulu and Huikku on Hailuoto Island. The causeway will replace the current ferry service.

The causeway will be approximately 8.4 kilometres long, and it will consist of a road running on top of an embankment and long bridges in Huikku and Riutunkari. The bridge in Huikku will be located approximately one kilometre from Hailuoto. The total length of the bridge will be approximately 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 total length of the bridge will be approximately 740 metres, and the vertical under-clearance of its central opening will be five metres.

Funding was secured for the project in the autumn of 2017, and the plan is to implement the project in accordance with the PPP model. The road plan was completed in April 2018. The procedure outlined in the Finnish Highways Act was initiated after the completion of the road plan.

The road plan was completed in April 2018. The procedure involves requesting opinions on the road plan from various stakeholders as well as the City of Oulu and the Municipality of Hailuoto. Before giving their opinions, the City of Oulu and the Municipality of Hailuoto will make the road plan available to the public. The Finnish Transport Agency will decide on the fate of the project once all opinions and objections have been reviewed.

The causeway will make Hailuoto more easily accessible nationally and regionally, enable better passenger and goods transport links to the island and local businesses, and widen the working area of Hailuoto residents.

The causeway will make Hailuoto equal with other municipalities in the Oulu region in terms of transport. The planned capacity of the causeway is also able to accommodate a considerably greater increase in transport volumes than forecast. The causeway enables meeting the objectives set for private and public transport, logistics and pedestrian and bicycle traffic.

The current ferry service is not meeting its economic objectives, and its annual operating and maintenance costs amount to approximately EUR 5.8 million. Continuing to operate the ferry service would require investments in new ferries and more services over the next few years.

The ferry service causes businesses on Hailuoto to incur extra expenses in the form of logistics costs, for example. The ferry service also makes businesses located on Hailuoto less competitive.