Heaviest Midsummer congestion expected on southern roads this afternoon

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Midsummer is upon us, bringing with it sauna, swims in the lake, sausages, bonfires - and the years' longest traffic jams, if the Finnish Road Administration (FINNRA) are to be relied on. And in this instance they are. Midsummer is not just an extended weekend, but the starting-signal for thousands to head off for their summer vacation at the cottage in the country. A great many of them take the car.
      With countless employees taking Friday off, the traffic peaks will be on Thursday, and perhaps to a slightly lesser extent on Sunday. Congestion is expected from around noon and well into the afternoon and evening.
     
Because of the somewhat one-sided nature of the traffic - most people are heading out of town, and not all of them will be returning immediately - Thursday afternoon promises to offer the heaviest congestion seen all year on the main highways roads in the more densely-populated south of the country.
     
Between Lahti and Heinola, a familiar bottleneck from previous seasons has been relieved by the opening of a new section of motorway last November.
      As always, however, this has only shifted the centre of anguish and nose-to-tail vehicles a little further up the road, and traffic jams are expected north of Heinola on Highway 4 between Lusi and Jyväskyla, and on Highway 5 between Lusi and Mikkeli.
      Road 51 (Helsinki-Hanko) around Kirkkonummi is expected to have heavy traffic, as is Highway 1 to Turku from Lohjanharju westwards, and also Road 180, snaking west from Turku into the Turku Archipelago and to destinations such as Nauvo and Korppoo, will fill up with cars.
      Further north, jams are expected around Tampere, at least on Highway 3 heading north and west, and on Highway 9 in the direction of Jyväskylä. In the Jyväskylä region itself, the authorities anticipate congestion on Highways 4 and 9.
     
Highway 7, heading east from the capital to the south-east of the country and the Russian border, can expect slow-moving traffic because of road works at Pernaja, between Vanhakylä and Koskenkylä. Further along, the road could get clogged on Thursday afternoon with drivers heading for Kotka (Hwy 7) and up to Kouvola (Hwy 6).
      It is worth consulting the FINNRA site for last-minute details.
     
The returning traffic will be at its heaviest on Sunday from noon onwards and will continue through to around midnight.
      According to FINNRA those staying on for a longer vacation will not materially reduce the congestion, in part because everyone seems to leave for home at the same time. However, the weather can play a significant part in this decision. A sunny Sunday will encourage people to leave it late before they set off.
     
Trains will be running today, Thursday, according to their normal Friday schedules, on Friday according to Saturday schedules, and on Midsummer Day, according to the Sunday timetables. On Sunday trains will operate the normal Sunday services.
      At Midsummer certain special extra trains are put on, but on the other hand as a general rule Friday and Saturday services will contain a good many seasonal cancellations.
     
The weather prospects for the holiday can be found from the Finnish Meteorological Institute site linked below. In addition to the map, local weather forecasts from around the country can be accessed by clicking on the town or city in "Select Location".
      Those choosing to stay in Helsinki can expect showers and sunny periods on Thursday and Friday, with the weather clearing somewhat by Midsummer Day. Temperatures will be in the low 20s Celsius.


Links:
  Finnish Road Administration (also contains real-time traffic information)
  Traffic Situation in Southern Finland (FINNRA)
  Finnish Meteorological Institute

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