The old railway bridge on Maaherrantie will be dismantled in March 2021, and the bus traffic on Maaherrantie will be diverted to another route. The stops at Oulunkylä station, Veräjämäki and Viikinmäki on Maaherrantie will be closed. You can read about the detour of trunk bus line 550 on the HSL website, for example.
Why will the old railway bridge be demolished?
The possibility of preserving and repairing the old Nihtisilta bridge, along which bus 550 currently runs, was explored at an early stage of planning and unfortunately did not prove to be a possible option. Today, a bridge like that could not be built in its current position – for example, it is too low and could dam the river in a flood situation. A new bridge for light rail traffic will be built to replace the old one.
When will access to Maaherrantie be opened?
Maaherrantie will be closed to traffic until Jokeri Light Rail starts operating in June 2024. Maaherrantie will only be used for the light rail and pedestrian and bicycle traffic. Bus traffic will not return to Maaherrantie.
The busy light rail traffic and passengers’ interchanges between the main line and Jokeri Light Rail at Oulunkylä station will not allow for cars or buses to travel on the tracks. To allow for Jokeri Light Rail to run smoothly, the aim is to minimise possible interference from motor traffic on all sections of the track where this is possible.