Traffic to Hailuoto quadrupled after fixed connection opened

Traffic on Hailuoto island was four times higher at the end of July than at the beginning of June after its fixed road connection opened, Yle reported.

The Northern Finland Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment measured traffic in June, when the island was accessible by ferry, and again in July, after the fixed connection opened on June 29.

Traffic at the Vaski monitoring point rose from an average of 742 vehicles per day in June to 3,125 in July. At the Marjaniemi monitoring point, the number of vehicles increased fivefold, from 476 to 2,377 per day.

The number of cyclists doubled but remained modest. At the end of July, 26 cyclists per day passed the Marjaniemi monitoring point.

Traffic on Hailuoto varies considerably by season and is highest in summer, especially in July. In recent years, the highest average daily traffic recorded in July during the ferry period was 1,069 vehicles. By comparison, the average measured at Vaski at the end of this July was nearly three times higher.

Traffic levels on Hailuoto have since stabilised after the holiday season ended.