The City of Nokia investigated the condition of the structures of the Emäkoski bridge, which was completed in 1957. In condition studies, the bridge’s supporting structures displayed significant rust damage to the iron reinforcements and weathering of concrete. The bridge’s drainage was also inadequate, which caused additional damage to the concrete structures.
In the contract, the western side of the bridge was first demolished and a new bridge was built in its place, after which all traffic was transferred to the new bridge. After this, it was time to dismantle the eastern half of the bridge and build a new one in its place. The scope of the project also included the construction of retaining walls and work-time bridge extensions at both ends of the eastern bridge as well as the construction of a tight scaffolding bridge on piles in the Nokianvirta in order to enable both the safe dismantling of the old bridge and the safe construction of the new one. Some 100 metres of a conveyor structure owned by Nokia Oyj were dismantled due to the space required by the new bridge structures.
Traffic arrangements for light traffic changed as construction progressed, and one lane over the bridge was kept open for pedestrians and cyclists throughout the project.
The Emäkoski bridge crosses the Nokianvirta and is one of the city’s main thoroughfares, used by cars more than 16,000 times a day. It is an important connection for traffic to Nokia city centre. Carrying out the work in two parts enabled traffic to flow throughout the duration of the contract. The busy Emäkoskentie runs from Nokia city centre to Highway 12. There is a significant amount of population, various industries and other businesses in the nearby area.
The value of the project was 6.5 million euros. The contractor and customer was the City of Nokia, and the implementation time was from August 2018 to July 2020.
