The route of the trunk bus line 550 will move away from Maaherrantie street on 1 March 2021. From this date onwards, the stops at Oulunkylä station, Veräjämäki and Viikinmäki on Maaherrantie will be closed. The new route of line 550 will run via Käpytie, Taivaskallio, Viikinranta and the Maaherrantie stops on Viikintie. Along with the new route of line 550, motor vehicles will be prohibited from passing through Kunnalliskodintie street. The driving ban does not apply to buses or worksite vehicles.
Dismantling of the old railway bridge on Maaherrantie will begin in March 2021. A new bridge for light rail traffic and cycling will be built to replace the old one. The rail construction work will continue for the entire length of the street once bus traffic has moved to the other route. The estimated time of completion for the construction is the end of 2022.
The pedestrian and cyclist route under the old railway bridge on the western bank of Vantaa River will be closed for the duration of the demolition and construction. Pedestrians and cyclists will be directed to the underpass at Tulvaniitynpolku. Demolition of the underpass tunnel at Oulunkylä station also begin in March. It will be replaced by new bridges for light rail traffic and cycling. Pedestrians and cyclists passing under the railway will be directed to Oulunkyläntie for about three months.
Buses cannot return to Maaherrantie even after the construction is complete and before light rail traffic starts operating. The entire light rail section of Maaherrantie will have tracks on crushed stone or grass, which cars cannot traverse. The light rail line will start operating in June 2024.
Maaherrantie will be turned into a public transport street that will only be used by the light rail traffic, pedestrians and cyclists. Smooth and punctual light rail traffic requires a lane separated from other traffic, and the width of the street is not sufficient to have lanes for passenger cars next to the light rail line.
To allow for the light rail traffic to run smoothly, the aim is to minimise possible interference from motor traffic on all sections of the track where this is possible. The light rail traffic will be busy, and Oulunkylä station, for example, will see frequent transfers between the trains and the light rail line. The stop at Oulunkylä station will also be the control point for the light rail cars. The light rail cars cannot be passed when they are at the station, which would make passenger car traffic difficult.