Long-awaited and successful opening ceremony of Meritie
The opening of Meritie in Finnoo was celebrated in glorious autumn weather on 1 October. A large number of people attended the event – almost two hundred people according to calculations! Children, adults, pets, local residents as well as people from further afield participated in the celebrations.
Official ribbon cut with a large pair of Fiskars scissors
The traditional ribbon was cut by Kimmo Leivo, Project Director of the Finnoo area, and Mikki Kauste, Chair of the Technical Services Committee. The tool they used was a large and heavy pair of Fiskars scissors.
“Finnoo is again one step closer to completion. Here in Finnoo, a basic structural element such as a bridge and its surroundings have been turned into a design product to provide everyday enjoyment for the residents of the area. This is also a good way to continue,” says Kimmo Leivo.
A joint celebration of many actors
The Urban Environment Customer Service, Espoo Info, local recreational clubs and other actors, Fortum’s Suomenoja power plant and personnel from the West Metro participated in the event. There were also heavy machines from the maintenance services on display, and visitors could even sit in the driver’s seat! Young children in particular were interested in the machines. The resident’ association for the Finnoo area, Iivisniemi-Kaitaa Seura, offered tasty pancakes, and there were queues to the pancake stand throughout the two-hour event.
At local residents’ request, several representatives of the parties with knowledge of the plans for the area were present: Area Architect Mervi Hokkanen, Finnoo’s Project Director Kimmo Leivo and Project Manager Johanna Salo.
The completion of Meritie brought long-awaited improvements
The construction of Meritie as a whole took over a year and a half, and residents had been looking forward to its completion. Now, vehicle traffic has been returned to its original route, and a small section of the west-east pedestrian and cycling route has been completed. The metro can be accessed directly through the upper-level square without having to take a time-consuming diversion. The bicycle park-and-ride area on the lower level has also been completed. In addition, the impressive canopy and staircase in the Meritienaukio square are now available for people to use.
From now on, the urban stream Djupsundsbäcken will flow through an open channel under Meritie. From there, the new channel continues south of Ridarinreitti towards a new culvert on the southern edge of the Finnoviken wetland. These measures have been taken to prevent flooding in Djupsundsbäcken.
Delight to the eye as well as practical benefits
From the very beginning, quality and design have been the cornerstones of the planning of Finnoo. The fact that the railings, canopies, paving and even the pillars of the bridge will be seen by hundreds of people every day has been considered in their design, and hopefully we have achieved our goal of bringing everyday enjoyment to the residents of the area without compromising functionality.
One of the objectives in the story of the Public Works Department is to more actively involve residents in the department’s activities. The opening ceremony of Meritie is an excellent example of celebrating a completed infrastructure project together with the residents’ association and local clubs.