Year: 2019

On 29 July at 9 am, rocks flew into nearby properties during the construction of water and sewage connections near the Kivenlahdentori metro station entrance. Fire water and household water pipelines and rainwater and wastewater sewer pipelines and their wells are being constructed for the city of Espoo, near the metro entrance. In addition, a new district heating pipeline is under construction. Despite the safety precautions taken during the excavation of the pipeline trenches, some rocks hurtled into the nearby properties.

In a residential building located three metres away from the open excavation area, a total of five windowpanes broke in windows or balconies. In a partially empty commercial building next door, and 25 metres from the construction site, eight windowpanes broke. The contractor has met with the residents and agreed on repairs. The repair of the windows in the commercial building will be agreed on with the building’s manager.

Before the open excavation, passage to the area was restricted. During blasting, the security guard does not allow anyone to enter the area. In open excavation, areas to be blasted are carefully covered with blasting mats. In this case, too, blasting mats were in place. Despite the precautions taken, some rocks blasted out from under the mats.

When the accident happened, the contractor immediately isolated the area, ensured that no one was injured and contacted the residents. An investigation into the cause of the incident is ongoing.

Concrete and reinforcement work is under way at the Kivenlahti metro station, and work on the technical building services has also begun. The accident will not affect the construction work. Excavation of the pipeline trenches continues today, in line with the original plan.

Further information:

Länsimetro’s feedback line (Mon–Fri, 9 am to 3 pm): +358 (0) 50 377 3700

Diamond sawing work will be carried out in the Matinkylä service tunnel from 17–19 July 2019. The work is connected to the construction of the Tynnyripuisto area.

The work will take place between 7.00 am and 4.00 pm. The noise caused by the diamond sawing may carry all the way to the metro platform.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused by the construction work.

Further information:

Mikko Raisio, Site Manager, YIT: +358 (0)50 3305503, mikko.raisio(at)yit.fi
Länsimetro’s feedback line (Mon–Fri, 9 am to 3 pm): +358 (0)50 377 3700

Sami Toivola, Bachelor of Construction Management, has started as supervisor of technical construction work at the West Metro’s Kivenlahti station. The supervisor’s work includes, for instance, inspecting reinforcements and various installations, as well as supervising and signing off on work samples. Toivola also takes part in various meetings related to the contract’s procurements, construction, scheduling and costs, to name a few.

“In addition to working in the office, I visit the work site every day,” says Toivola, who has worked at Kivenlahti for a month now.

Toivola has extensive experience in the construction industry, most recently having worked for AKR Betoni Oy. He has also worked at SRV, Lemminkäinen and Consti Julkisivu Oy. His background covers residential and industrial construction, as well as renovations.

“When the opportunity to join the metro construction project came up, I was definitely interested, because this is a major and long-term project. I also happen to live right near phase two of the metro project, which is currently under construction,” he says.

Structural work on the station is under way right now in the Kivenlahti contract, and it includes a great deal of concrete construction. Toivola holds a qualification in exceptionally demanding concrete construction from Suomen Betoniyhdistys ry (Concrete Association of Finland), something that is necessary when it comes to supervising the metro’s structural construction work. In addition, work on the technical building services has already been started in the metro station’s basement level.

“The electricity and HVAC contracts have their own supervisors, but naturally we work together a lot,” says Toivola.

From July until the end of September, work on Länsimetro’s Kivenlahti construction contract will also take place on Saturdays between 9.00 am and 6.00 pm. Construction work will take place in both the underground tunnel and aboveground, at both entrances, on Saturdays. From Monday to Friday, the construction work will be limited to between 7.00 am and 6.00 pm.

Work will be performed on Saturdays in order to efficiently pace the work stages. On Saturdays, only non-noisy work stages – such as reinforcement work, formwork and joint sealing – will be carried out. Drilling and excavation work will not be performed on weekends.

In addition, on Wednesday, 17 July, a large wall be cast at the Kivenlahdentori entrance, and the work will end at 10.00 pm. Unfortunately, the work cannot be interrupted earlier, due to the size of the structure to be cast. The casting work will not cause considerable noise to the surrounding environment.

Further information:

On-call phone line, Skanska Infra Oy: +358 (0)50 402 3044
Länsimetro’s feedback line (Mon–Fri, 9 am to 3 pm): +358 (0)50 377 3700

Trench excavation will begin during the week of 22 July at Seitsenmerenreitti as part of Länsimetro’s Kivenlahti construction project. The excavation work will last a total of one week.

The reason for the trench excavation is because of the planned construction of water and sewer lines on Seitsenmerenreitti. They are related to both the Kivenlahti metro station’s water and sewer connections and to the public utility lines that are to be constructed for the City of Espoo. Fire water and household water pipelines and rainwater and wastewater sewer pipelines and their wells will be constructed for the city. In addition, a new district heating pipeline will be built.

The work will take place on Seitsenmerenreitti, in the immediate vicinity of the Kivenlahdentori entrance, on the aboveground sections of the work site. The  excavation will take place during the week between 7 am–6 pm.

Work on water and sewer connections and district heating for the Kivenlahti metro station and public utility work for the City of Espoo will be completed by the end of October.

We apologise for any inconvenience that the work may cause.

Further information:

On-call phone line, Skanska Infra Oy: +358 (0)50 402 3044
Länsimetro’s feedback line (Mon–Fri, 9 am to 3 pm): +358 (0)50 377 3700

Element installation and concrete casting will begin in the West Metro Kaitaa construction project during the week of 1 July. Work will be carried out at the future metro station’s Kaitaantie entrance (Kaitaantie 6) and at the provisional Iivisniemenkallio entrance (Hannuskallio 5) in the aboveground areas of the worksites.

The metro station’s load-bearing structures will be cast in concrete, and part of the concrete will be transported to the site as finished elements, and part as ready-mix concrete to be cast on site. The concrete work phase will increase worksite traffic – the concrete trucks will mainly take the Kaitaantie and Hannuskallio route.

Noisy work will be carried out during normal working hours from Monday to Friday between 7 am and 6 pm. Quiet work can also be carried out outside those hours. The transportation of concrete elements and concrete casting are estimated to last two months, starting during the week of 1 July.

Further information:

Ari Larikka, occupational safety manager, YIT Rakennus Oy: tel. +358 (0)50 440 3011, ari.larikka(at)yit.fi
Länsimetro’s feedback line (Mon–Fri, 9 am to 3 pm): +358 (0)50 377 3700

Atte Heiskanen (Master of Engineering) has joined the West Metro project as a project engineer. Heiskanen works in Soukka station’s design management and his tasks include, among other things, coordinating design solutions and various design fields, such as architectural and structural design, monitoring the design schedules and coordinating them with the project management contractor.

Heiskanen has previously worked as Project Manager at Sweco Rakennetekniikka Oy and been involved in the Redi shopping centre and the Helsinki Olympic Stadium projects, just to name a few examples.

“Major projects have many things in common, such as coordination challenges, and they always involve a lot of expertise and many parties,” Heiskanen says.

For Heiskanen, joining Länsimetro means taking a leap into an even larger project.

“I applied for the West Metro project because I wanted to paint with an even bigger brush, so to speak. I wanted to move to the next level and work on larger entities instead of detailed plans,” he says.

Heiskanen is also interested in the metro as a mobility solution of the future.

“In future, environmental concerns alone will dictate the need for various mobility options that can be combined. A bicycle, for example, is often a convenient way to reach the metro station,” he says.

Heiskanen has worked on the project since spring 2019, and he feels part of the team.

“My first impression was that the project involves a lot of expertise and experience and great colleagues,” he says.

Heiskanen also regularly visits worksites – structural design continues during construction, and the plans are refined with the contractor. In addition, design meetings are organised with designers, and various coordination and planning meetings are held with the other parties involved in the project.

“Worksite visits bring a nice variety to the workday,” Heiskanen says.