Turku chooses cheaper option for two-year bridge closure

Turku will close the Tuomiokirkko Bridge to all traffic for almost two years during a major renovation starting next year, Yle reports. Keeping the bridge partly open would double the construction period and add tens of millions of euros in costs.

The nearby Auransilta Bridge will also be closed to private cars and reserved entirely for public transport buses operated by Föli. The city government confirmed the decision last Monday.

The renovation is linked to the construction of a tramway and a public transport corridor. However, the Tuomiokirkko Bridge would need to be repaired regardless, as it is nearing the end of its service life.

According to the city’s assessments, allowing traffic to continue on part of the bridge would require it to be rebuilt in two stages, doubling the time needed for the work. Construction costs would rise by about seven million euros. A further 7.2 million euros would be added through extra design costs, project and general expenses, risk provisions and fees.

Public transport costs would also increase by at least seven million euros over the four-year alternative compared with the option now approved.

The longer schedule could also affect a state grant of 10 million euros. If the work is not completed by the end of 2028, securing the grant would require Parliament to re-budget at least part of the funding.

Bridge closures and traffic arrangements

The Tuomiokirkko Bridge will have one lane in each direction during February and March 2027. It will then be closed completely from April 2027 until November 2028.

Private cars will be banned from Auransilta from the beginning of February 2027. Public transport will move entirely to that bridge when the lanes on Tuomiokirkko Bridge are reduced.

More than 25,000 motor vehicles, 10,500 pedestrians, 4,200 cyclists and 1,400 buses use Tuomiokirkko Bridge each day. During peak hours, as many as 100 buses cross it every hour.

Allowing private cars to use Auransilta would cause severe congestion. The narrow bridge would have to carry an estimated 20,000 private cars and about 2,200 buses a day, which it cannot accommodate, according to the city.

Restricting the ban to peak hours would not provide much relief either. The city says earlier experience, including construction work at Toripark and Turku Market Square, showed that partial bans worked poorly.

Traffic will be directed around the city centre

The main alternative route from Uudenmaankatu to Aninkaistensilta will run via Hämeenkatu and Helsinginkatu.

Much of the traffic from Tuomiokirkko Bridge will shift to Tuomaansilta, Martinsilta and Myllysilta. Some drivers will be directed around the city centre via Halinen and the ring road.

More than half of the traffic on Tuomiokirkko Bridge is through traffic that does not stop in the city centre. The city hopes this traffic will move farther away from the centre, said Susan Nymander, a planning manager at the City of Turku.

Some disruption is expected when the bridge work begins and people start looking for new routes.