Preparations for tramway and bridge construction begin on Sepänkatu – parking arrangements change
The preparations for upcoming tramway works on Sepänkatu will begin on week 9. During the day, trees will be felled on the eastern side of the street near the trainline. Trees will also be cleared on Paasikivenkatu near the trainline area for the building of access roads to the construction site. To prepare for the bridge upgrade on Sepänkatu, alteration works on the electrified railway will begin on week 9 within the section Näsinkallio-Sepänkatu-Tipotie. The work on this section will mainly take place at night.
Due to the engineering works, the residential parking on the eastern side of Sepäkatu will be closed from 1 March onwards. The stairs and ramp connecting Sepänkatu and Kankurinkatu will also be closed.
Preparations for bridge construction on Sepänkatu tramway area to take place at night
Preparations for the upgrade of the bridge on Sepänkatu will take place during the spring, beginning with alterations to the electrified railway in the area. This is followed by preparations for the demolition of the bridge and the construction of a protective enclosure for trains for the duration of the bridge construction. After the completion of the protective enclosure begins the demolition and construction of the new bridge on Sepänkatu. The works in the railway area take place at night.
On weeks 9–13, beginning on 28 February, engineering works on the electrified railway will take place mainly at night in the section Näsinkallio–Sepänkatu–Tipotie. The works include the erection of electrical poles and alterations to the overhead contact lines. On week 9, trees will be felled in the daytime near the trainline on the eastern side of Sepänkatu and on Paasikivenkatu and access roads to the site will be built.
From week 13 until the end of May, preparations for the demolition of the Sepänkatu bridge will take place. This includes the building of a protective enclosure beneath the bridge to allow trains to operate normally while the old bridge is being demolished and the new bridge is constructed. For safety reasons, the building of the enclosure will mainly take place at weekday nights, as this allows for the coordinated scheduling of works according to train times. In April and May, works will also be scheduled in between train traffic on some weekend nights between Saturday evening and Monday morning. However, the aim is to carry out most of the work during weekday nights. The works include drilled piling and sheet pile driving for the foundations of the enclosure and the new bridge and for the retaining walls beneath the railway surface. The drilled piling and sheet pile driving may cause noise disturbance for the nearby area.
The construction of the tramway on Sepänkatu begins on week 11 with water supply maintenance
The tramway works on Sepänkatu will begin on week 11 (15 March) on the section between Pirkankatu and Satakunnankatu and the works will cause alterations to the traffic arrangements in the area. The laying of the storm water pipeline on the eastern side of Sepänkatu between Pirkankatu and Satakunnankatu and the related traffic arrangement will begin. The street will be narrowed to two lanes on the western side with one lane for each direction. The pedestrian traffic will also be directed to the western side of the street and bicycles will be diverted via the northern side of Pirkankatu, Tipotie and Satakunnankatu. Access to the properties and service traffic on Sepänkatu will be secured at all stages of the works.
The tramway works on Sepänkatu will continue at a later stage in the spring so that the Sepänkatu bridge will be closed for traffic from early May for the demolition of the old bridge and the construction of a new one. The bridge closure and its impact of the traffic arrangements will be announced in more detail closer to the beginning of the works.
The current bridge on Sepänkatu will be replaced by a new, wider bridge accommodating mixed traffic (tramway, motor traffic, pedestrians and cyclists). The new bridge will be up to 40 metres wide while the width of the current bridge is 15 metres. The works are estimated to continue from May 2021 until the end of summer 2022.