IMPROVING THE FLOW OF HIGHWAY 8 BY REPLACING THE LAPVÄÄRTINJOKI BRIDGE IN KRISTINESTAD

Kreate is undertaking the replacement of the Lapväärtinjoki Bridge located on Highway 8 in Kristinestad. The project involves dismantling the deteriorated bridge over the Lapväärtinjoki River and constructing a new bridge designed to accommodate current traffic volumes. The client for this project is the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment for Southwest Finland (Varsinais-Suomen ELY-keskus).

The bridge construction site is situated in the village of Lapväärtti in Kristinestad, along the heavily trafficked Highway 8. The existing bridge, built in the 1960s, has reached the end of its service life and is too narrow for present-day traffic needs.

The project includes demolishing the current concrete beam bridge and constructing a new, wider, 56-metre-long prestressed concrete cantilever beam bridge. Fieldwork will commence once the temporary bypass road and auxiliary bridge are completed. Working near a highly flood-prone waterway adds complexity to the project.

Pile slabs will be installed at both ends of the new Lapväärtinjoki Bridge, which will be founded on drilled piles. The piling work will be carried out by KFS Finland, a specialist foundation construction company partially owned by Kreate.

Traffic on Highway 8 is expected to be redirected onto the new bridge by December 2025 at the latest.