Construction work on Highway 9's interchange bridges in Lievestuoree begins in earnest during October. Destia is currently building detours around both Liepeentie and Hohontie intersections. Bridge construction for the interchanges will follow.
The detour routes stretch about 200 meters and will be paved and opened before November. These temporary routes will slightly slow traffic as speed limits drop to 40 km/h. Elsewhere in the project area, speed limits will remain at 50 km/h.
Project manager Jarmo Niskanen from the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency said this won't create major travel delays. The added time is just 1-1.5 minutes when driving from Jyväskylä to Kuopio because the current road faces heavy congestion and has a 60 km/h speed limit in this section.
The Highway 9 construction project covers a 4.2-kilometer stretch from the Hoho intersection to the former Lasilandia area. The goal is to improve traffic safety on this national highway, particularly around the Mikkelintie and Liepeentie intersection where many accidents occur.
This project addresses a known danger zone that local drivers have navigated for years. The temporary inconvenience appears justified given the safety improvements promised for this accident-prone corridor.