Finland to pave 2,400 km of roads this summer, down from last year

Finland will pave about 2,400 kilometres of roads this summer, significantly less than in 2025, according to the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency.

To maintain the current condition of the road network, the country would need to pave 4,000 km annually. Last year, 3,240 km were repaved—the only time in the past 20 years this target was nearly met.

Rising bitumen prices, tied to oil refining costs, may further reduce the paving programme by hundreds of kilometres nationwide, said Virpi Anttila, the agency’s road maintenance director. Bitumen is a key binder in asphalt.

The government has allocated an additional €100 million for road surfacing and markings this year, bringing the total to €279 million. Despite this, the backlog of road repairs continues to grow.

An extra €18 million has also been earmarked for bridge repairs, with a total of €111 million allocated for bridges and other structures. Anttila noted that this funding allows for critical repairs before problems worsen, preventing traffic disruptions such as weight limits, speed restrictions, or lengthy detours.

A map of the ten largest paving sites this summer is available on the agency’s website.