Two new temporary routes for pedestrians to be opened in Tapiola in September
The City of Espoo, together with local construction sites and scaffolding suppliers operating in the area, has made arrangements to improve temporary pedestrian routes between Merituulentie and Itätuulenkuja.
Two new pedestrian routes will be opened in Tapiola in September. They will replace the temporary bridges that were dismantled during the summer. A temporary wooden bridge across Itätuulenkuja has been built as an extension to Sammonsilta. The wooden bridge is still under construction, even though it looks completed. The bridge is connected to scaffolding bridges that still require further improvements. The wooden bridge will replace the dismantled western scaffolding bridge that led from Merituulentori to the Omnia building on the southern side of Itätuulenkuja.
The other new temporary route will run from the southern end of Tuulikinsilta to Itätuulenkuja. Stairs have been built from Tuulikinsilta to the street level, and there will be a route around the construction site to Itätuulenkuja. This route will be available as of early September. The deliveries of steel parts for the stairs were delayed during the summer, which has delayed the completion. The new route will replace the dismantled scaffolding bridge that led from Tuulikinsilta to Itätuulenkuja and Helmakuja.
Even after the new routes have opened, it will still be possible to walk along Itätuulenkuja at street level. This route allows pedestrians, including those pushing a pram or bicycle, to walk all the way from Tapiolantie to Etelätuulentie. From Itätuulenkuja, you can access Helmakuja, where you can take the elevator to the metro, bus terminal and Ainoa shopping centre. You can also access the Tuulimäki sports facility from Itätuulenkuja. In front of the sports facility, there are stairs leading to Revontulenpolku.
The accessible route from the direction of Länsiväylä to the Tapiola centre runs through Tuuliniitynpolku.
Another temporary bridge is being planned where the Tuulimäki street is located. The aim is to make it available for use during the autumn.
The scaffolding routes along the southern edge of Itätuulenkuja will remain available where needed to access the residential buildings and commercial premises, but passing through the area has been prohibited since May. The scaffolds have been improved based on the observations made during a third-party inspection.
The city aims to speed up the completion of final routes
Espoo is looking for solutions that could speed up the completion of the final routes between Merituulentie and Itätuulenkuja. There are several construction sites in the area, which must be taken into consideration in the schedule. Temporary bridges have been used to ensure that the routes available during construction work are as accessible and user-friendly as possible.
The city closed all temporary bridges in the area due to the accident on 11 May. A decision was made to dismantle the temporary scaffolding bridges during the summer and replace them with new temporary routes, which will be available as of September.