Locals say repairs have not fixed Finland’s worst village road

The road between Tepasto and Raattama in Kittilä remains in poor condition despite summer repairs, local residents say, Yle reports. The route in Kittilä was named Finland’s worst village road last year in a photo contest organised by the Finnish Road Association and Finnish Villages.

Crews cleared ditches, replaced damaged culverts and spread crushed stone on the road. But residents say deep potholes remain and are calling for a full reconstruction rather than surface repairs.

Anja Keskitalo, who lives beside the road in Kurkkio, said the contest’s publicity had helped bring about the work. She praised the effort made over the summer but said some potholes were still deep and sharp-edged.

“Otherwise, one day I’ll take a shovel and start filling the holes myself,” Keskitalo said, noting that many car tyres had been damaged in the spring. She said heavy rain can make the holes deeper, particularly because gravel was added before the road was levelled.

The road follows the Ounasjoki river and is used by travellers heading from Levi towards Pallas and Hetta. Although the speed limit is 80 kilometres per hour, drivers have to travel much more slowly because of the uneven surface.

Joona Peltoniemi, a road maintenance manager at the regional development centre, said heavy rain in late summer and autumn had created potholes on gravel roads. The Tepasto-Raattama road was due to be levelled before winter, but the surface froze before the work could be done. Peltoniemi said the road is somewhat uneven but meets the centre’s quality standards.