Longest road tunnel in Finland re-opened

Unanticipated problems affect Vuosaari tunnel

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Technical equipment in the new Vuosaari tunnel built to facilitate traffic to and from the new harbour facility in the east of Helsinki has caused unforeseen problems, which forced the tunnel to be closed soon after it was opened late last year.
      The 1.5 kilometre-long Vuosaari tunnel, the longest road tunnel in Finland, was re-opened on Tuesday. It had been closed only days after it was first opened in October 2007, because of a problem that arose with the security camera system.
      "We clearly made a mistake. We should have been more wary. These devices are not expensive, so the problem is certainly not money", said Pekka Kontiala, the head of the project, on Tuesday.
     
Now there is a backup system to the computer that runs the cameras. The cost of the overhaul was EUR 20,000. Meanwhile, the new tunnel was out of use for more than three months.
      "You can't get these devices off a store shelf. The supplier builds them from scratch. That is why the tunnel had to be kept closed for such a long time", Kontiala says.
      There is no clear explanation for why the camera system of the computer failed in October after only a few days in use.
     
There has been a great effort to ensure security in the Vuosaari road tunnel. Measures include building separate tunnels for cars driving in each direction, good illumination and ventilation, emergency exits, emergency telephones, fire extinguishers, as well as a radio and telephone network. Even the closure of the tunnel was implemented for security reasons.
      "When the computer server broke, the camera system went out of commission. In practice this meant that the traffic control centre had no pictures from the inside of the tunnel", Kontiala said.
      Safety measures are especially important in Finland, where many motorists are unaccustomed to driving in long tunnels. Some drivers have even stopped in the middle of the tunnel to admire the new subterranean thoroughfare.
      "I want to emphasise especially that heavy vehicles are not allowed to overtake others inside the tunnel. Apparently the traffic sign indicating this is understood rather poorly", says Jussi Pohjonen of Finland's Mobile Police.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Finland´s longest road tunnel opens in Helsinki today (9.10.2007)
  Vuosaari harbour transport needs could cause major traffic jams on Ring Road (13.12.2007)

Helsingin Sanomat