Major renovation of the railway bridge at Kiskopolku will ensure smooth connections across Oulu railway yard

The Kiskopolku footbridge, located in the Oulu railway yard area, is used by large numbers of pedestrians and cyclists every day. Kreate’s railway engineers are carrying out a thorough repair of the bridge, which was built in 1981, to ensure it continues to serve safely in the future.

The project involves demolishing the concrete ramp bridge and the steps leading to it, which will then be rebuilt. On the steel bridge section, we replaced six intermediate supports and the concrete deck structure. The ramp bridge, built in 2009, and the section of the steel bridge extended across the railway yard in the same year will remain unchanged.

The project is progressing in a challenging environment, as some of the bridge spans being replaced are located within the railway yard, between several tracks, meaning we are working near active rail traffic and electrified lines.

As for Kreate, work began in the summer of 2026, when during the first road closures, tasks such as the piling of intermediate supports and the installation of overhead line protection were carried out, and the demolition of the bridge’s concrete deck began. All the intermediate supports for the steel bridge and the ramp bridge will be founded on steel-tube piles, and the piling work will be carried out by the specialist foundation engineers at our joint venture, KFS Finland. The steel bridge will subsequently be raised onto temporary supports, after which work will begin on the dismantling and reconstruction of the intermediate supports, the ramp bridge and the stairs.

Located in the heart of the railway yard area, the project draws on the expertise that Kreate has built up through numerous challenging railway and bridge projects across Finland. The replacement of the Urpiaisentie railway bridge in Vantaa, the construction of the Karikko overpass in Mikkeli, and the Tornionjoki railway bridge project, which won the ‘Bridge of the Year’ award are examples of our projects where success has required meticulous planning, the effective utilisation of traffic closures and strong specialist expertise in the railway environment.

In our work, we also pay particular attention to the reuse and recycling of materials. Materials generated during demolition work are, where possible, channelled towards reuse or recycling as part of responsible infrastructure construction.

The client is the City of Oulu, and the contract period is June 2026–October 2027.