A construction company caused major traffic jams in Helsinki when it ignored city rules about rush hour lane closures. The Wednesday evening gridlock stretched for kilometers after a builder closed lanes during peak traffic times.
Helsinki had explicitly banned lane reductions or closures during rush hours near the construction site. The builder, Pohjola Rakennus, shut down a southbound lane near the intersection of Laajasalo Road and Koirasaari Road anyway.
Traffic backed up for over two kilometers during the worst of the congestion. Some drivers faced delays exceeding one hour as queues reached all the way to Herttoniemi metro station.
City official Elina Airaksinen confirmed the builder violated the rush hour restriction. "Operations were changed at the construction site after yesterday's incident," Airaksinen said in an email statement. "Both lanes were already in use this morning."
The construction company has apologized for not following the Wednesday rush hour limits. Future work will now occur outside peak traffic times.
City officials have instructed the contractor to consider the road section's importance for evening traffic. "If this doesn't work in practice, the work will be moved to nighttime if necessary," Airaksinen wrote.
Helsinki received numerous complaints about the traffic chaos on Thursday. The incident highlights how construction projects can disrupt urban mobility when companies disregard established guidelines.
Construction firms operating in dense urban areas face clear responsibilities to minimize traffic disruption. This case shows what happens when those responsibilities get ignored during Helsinki's busiest travel times.