The Tramway Alliance continues construction of the Tampere tramway westward to Hiedanranta, Niemenranta and Lentävänniemi – the first works to start in March
The westward construction of the Tampere tramway will continue in spring 2022, and construction of the Santalahti-Lentävänniemi section will begin during March. In addition to the works already underway on Sepänkatu and in Santalahti, construction of the tramway will now also start in Hiedanranta, Niemenranta and Lentävänniemi.
The City of Tampere has started the Näsisaari filling work, as the Supreme Administrative Court resolved the appeal concerning the related permit for filling a body of water in December 2021. Solving the permit issues related to the Näsijärvi filling before the start of the construction was a prerequisite for the construction of the Santalahti-Lentävänniemi section.
– The decision enabling Näsisaari was highly expected and we are very pleased that we can now continue the tramway to the final stop of part 2 by Pyhällönpuisto in Lentävänniemi, says Sari Valjus, Project Manager for the Tramway Alliance.
The construction work will begin in March in several locations. Preparatory work for the Paasikiventie tramway bridge and the related alteration work of Paasikiventie will begin at the western end of Santalahti. In addition, construction will also start in Hiedanranta, Niemenranta and Lentävänniemi.
– In the Hiedanranta area, the first work phases will be carried out on the section between the future Nottbeckinaukio and the old industrial area. In Niemenranta and Lenntävänniemi, construction of the tramway will start on all streets the tramway will cover in the future, meaning Federleynkatu, Kehyskatu, Lielahdenkatu and Halkoniemenkatu. All necessary traffic arrangements will be concluded prior to starting construction of the tramway, says Valjus.
Construction of the Rosenlew tramway bridge over Paasikiventie to start during spring
In the western part of Santalahti, the construction of the Rosenlew underpass across Paasikiventie will begin during the spring. The bridge will cross Paasikiventie from the western end of Rantatie and reaching the Pölkkylänpuisto park, from where the tramway route will continue towards Hiedanranta and Niemenranta via Näsisaari. The Rosenlew bridge will be more than 230 metres long and dedicated to tram traffic. The bridge is supported by five pillars in addition to abutments.
Preparations for beginning the works in the Paasikiventie area were already started at the beginning of February, when the City of Tampere removed trees from the Pölkkylänniemi area and from the south of Paasikiventie. The first construction phase will involve moving cables and pipes away from the future bridge structures and the tramway. The work areas are located both to the south and north of Paasikiventie.
– An approximately 300-metre section of Paasikiventie will be moved towards Näsijärvi in order to be able to fit the tramway next to Rantatie. Work on the bridge will begin with the construction of the foundations of the bridge, says Kari Simonen, Production Manager of the Tramway Alliance.
In connection with the construction and transfers, the westward carriageway of Paasikiventie will also be extended from the current two lanes to three lanes in the Tramway Alliance’s work area. Two lanes per direction will be maintained on Paasikiventie in both directions throughout the construction, but routes will change as the work progresses. A temporary pedestrian and bike path with temporary lighting will be built on the south side of Paasikiventie for the duration of the construction. It will be available for use in early March.
First work phases of tramway construction: felling trees, cabling and plumbing
Preparations to start the tramway works were also made in the area of Pyhällönpuisto in January by felling trees from the area. The terminus of the western part of the tramway will be built in Pyhällönpuisto, with a central platform that passengers will use to both board and exit the tram. The first step is to build a loading berm in Pyhällönpuisto, which will remain in place for one year after being completed. The berm is used to compact the ground under the track.
Cable and pipe transfers will be started on all tramway streets in Niemenranta and Lentävänniemi, meaning Federleynkatu, Kehyskatu, Lielahdenkatu and Halkoniemenkatu.
– Cables and pipes that go along the roads are to be moved out of the way of the new tramway. This is necessary to ensure that they can be maintained in the future without having to interrupt tram traffic. Cabling and plumbing will also be replaced as needed, says Kari Simonen.
In addition to cable and pipe transfers, new cross-street pipelines will be constructed. Both the existing and the new cross-street pipelines will be placed inside protective pipes, making future maintenance and repair of the pipelines easier.
The work in Hiedanranta is estimated to start in April. The work will begin with the construction of the tramway foundations in the area between Nottbeckinaukio and the industrial area. No old cables and pipes need to be moved here, but the Tramway Alliance will conduct new municipal engineering work for future residential areas in connection with the railway works.
– Constructing the public utilities in connection with this work will save costs and time as well as support the construction of the Hiedanranta area, notes Simonen.
The first surface structure works of the Santalahti-Lentävänniemi section, installation of slab tracks and rails, will be carried out during the summer.
Traffic arrangements will be carried out on the tramway streets before work starts
Before the tramway works can be started, the necessary traffic arrangements will be carried out and the work areas demarcated:
• Paasikiventie will have lane and routes changes as the work progresses, but two lanes in both directions will remain in use throughout construction. A temporary pedestrian and bike path will be built on the south side of Paasikiventie, and opened for traffic in early March. The first traffic arrangements will be prepared towards the end of week 8 and last for one to two nights. This means that one of the westward carriageway will be closed from 9:00 pm until the morning. The traffic arrangements include minor alterations to the Paasikiventie and Rantatie junction area.
• In Hiedanranta, tramway work between Nottbeckinaukio and the industrial area will not cause new traffic arrangements at the initial stage. In Sellupuisto, the current traffic arrangements for pedestrian and cycling due to the construction of the loading berm remain in place. The traffic arrangements related to filling the body of water by the City of Tampere are described on the City’s website.
• Traffic arrangements will be altered on Federleynkatu. Bus traffic from Federleynkatu will be transferred to Lielahdenkatu, where new bus stops will be introduced. The buses 9, 19 and 38 as well as the stops Federleynkatu 1035, Matilda Niemen katu 1022/1023 and Niemenrannanaukio 1090/1091 will transfer from Federleynkatu to Lielahdenkatu on Monday 7 March 2022. The alteration will remain in place for a long period of time, but it will not significantly affect the timetables. At the beginning of the works, one-way maintenance traffic will be allowed on Federleynkatu, as well as access to properties from Lenntävänniemi towards the city centre, all the way to Matilda Niemen katu. The section of Federleynkatu between Matilda Niemen katu and Sellupuisto will be completely closed. We recommend accessing Matilda Niemen katu and Matilda Niemen kuja via Lielahdenkatu. Traffic from the one-way Federleynkatu to Lielahdenkatu will be directed via Matilda Niemen katu. Maintenance and property access will be ensured during the construction, and junctions will be constructed so that cars are able to cross the street. The cycle path and the recommended pedestrian route are located mainly on the north side of the street during the first work phases. On-street parking along Federleynkatu will also be reduced due to the construction.
• Traffic on Kehyskatu will remain bidirectional, but the lanes will be transferred to the eastern edge of the street. Maintenance and property access will be ensured during the construction. Junctions will be constructed so that cars are able to cross the street. The pedestrian and cycle route runs along Kehyskatu. The roundabout between Kehyskatu and Lielahdenkatu will be converted into a T-junction, due to the replacement of the cross-street pipelines in the area. The location of the junction’s pedestrian crossings will also be altered. Towards the end of week 8, the City of Tampere will also fell trees on a plot between Kehyskatu and Lielahdenkatu to make way for the construction of one of the tramway’s electricity supply stations.
• Traffic will remain bidirectional on Lielahdenkatu, but there will be changes to lanes and routes at locations where cross-street pipelines will be built under the street. Work will be carried out on the entire section between Kehyskatu and Halkoniemenkatu. Bus traffic from Federleynkatu will transfer to Lielahdenkatu and new bus stops will be introduced. During the construction, the pedestrian and cycling route will mostly be located north of Lielahdenkatu, but temporary changes are expected as the work progresses, especially on the section between Lentävänniemenkatu and Halkoniemenkatu. The first work to start in the junction of Lielahdenkatu and Halkoniemenkatu is an extensive replacement of the sewage lines.
• On Halkoniemenkatu, the carriageway will remain in its current location for the duration of the first stage, and the western edge of the street between Lenntävänniementori and Lielahdenkatu will be taken over by construction structural layers for the widening of the road. Different stages will also include occasional excavation work. For the moment, the pedestrian route will be located on the eastern edge of the street. The pedestrian routes and driveways for the properties located on the western edge of the street will be arranged within the construction site with separate fences. In Pyhällönpuisto, pedestrian routes will be altered during the construction of the loading berm, and routes may need to be occasionally closed. Once the berm is completed, routes can be reopened for use.
Construction of the Pyynikintori–Santalahti section partly ahead of schedule
The tramway construction of the section between Pyynikintori and Santalahti began in November 2020. Construction of the section is proceeding as planned and even ahead of schedule for some of the work phases. For example, the surface structure work, including construction of the slab track and installation of the rails, have already been completed on the section of Sepänkatu between Pirkankatu and Satakunnankatu. The aim was to have half of this section ready by the end of last year. The street construction on Rantatie was also completed earlier than planned last autumn.
– Increasing the work pace has been enabled by better than expected coordination of the various work phases. On the other hand, schedules of the casting work related to the Santalahti bridge had to be altered due to warm weather. Nevertheless, the new Santalahden rantasilta bridge was opened on schedule at the beginning of December, Kari Simonen notes.
Work in Santalahti has progressed on schedule during the winter. In addition to the construction of the tramway, the storm water sewer is being renovated along the railway between Sepänkatu and Näsijärvenkatu. Work on the Sepänkatu bridge will continue during the spring, including work phases such as railing installations. The routes and carriageways of the Sepänkatu area will operate for the rest of the winter with the current arrangements. Work on the Sepänkatu bridge is planned to be completed at the end of summer, when Sepänkatu can also be reopened for car, pedestrian and bicycle traffic. The Sepänkatu eastern pedestrian and cycle route will be completed later, approximately in spring 2023.
On Paasikivenkatu, construction of the supporting wall and foundations for the ballast tracks will continue during the winter. Supporting walls are also being built along Rantatie and filling works are being carried out alongside the supporting walls as they are being completed.
The City of Tampere is building Näsisaari
The City of Tampere started the construction of Näsisaari in mid-February. Näsisaari will be built in Näsijärvi in the water area between Hiedanranta and Pölkkylänniemi and connected to land by bridges. A canal will be built between the island and the beach. The tramway will be built on the initial fill. The plan is to further extend the fill at a later stage in order to enable the construction of a residential area connected to Hiedanranta on the island. The City of Tampere is responsible for the construction of Näsisaari and providing related information.
The Tramway Alliance will provide information about the construction of the western part of the tramway and its impact on the Tramway Alliance website and social media channels.
Further information on tram and bus traffic and the special routes during construction is provided by Tampere regional transport, Nysse.
More information about the Tampere Tram is provided by Tampereen Ratikka.
Feedback and questions:
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