Sweco chosen as a construction management consultant for the West Harbour tunnel project and the improvement of West Harbour’s perry and field areas in Helsinki

Published: Aug 18, 2023

Sweco has been selected as a construction management consultant for two subprojects of the Port of Helsinki’s West Project, i.e. the West Harbour tunnel project and the West Harbour quay and field development project. Project planning is funded by EU project support (TWINPORT V).

The assignment received by Sweco consists of preparation of the project and procurement plans, including scheduling and budgeting, preparation of design and contract procurements, design guidance and contract developer tasks, including project management, schedule and cost monitoring as well as site supervision.

At the end of 2022, the Port of Helsinki launched the West Project, which is part of the long-term development programme of the port company owned by the City of Helsinki. The programme is based on the City Council’s decision on the reorganisation of port operations, and the development of the land use in the port areas in the South Harbour, Katajanokka and West Harbour. Helsinki is already the busiest passenger port in Europe.

The western project consists of three subprojects:
– Project 1: Harbour tunnel
– Project 2: Terminal 1
– Project 3: Quay and field arrangements

The harbour tunnel is an underground two-way route for heavy goods and passenger cars that leads from West Harbour to Länsiväylä highway. The harbour tunnel will increase the living comfort of Jätkäsaari neighbourhood in particular, where the Jätkäsaarenlaituri pier becomes a bottleneck and is often congested during ship arrival and departure times. The development of quay and field areas will expand the West Harbour quay area and renew quays. The new T1 will replace the current West Terminal 1, built in 1930, and it is intended to form an entity with services that serves not only passengers but also residents and other operators in the neighbourhood.

The reforms prepare for the growth of traffic in Tallinn, Estonia, and in the future, all traffic to Tallinn would take place from the West Harbour in 2028. The ports of Helsinki and Tallinn and the connection between them are part of the EU’s core network and the strategically important North Sea-Baltic corridor. The Port of Tallinn is developing its current infrastructure simultaneously with Helsinki.

“A demanding project is being planned, and building new structures within an existing port requires the best resources. The work requires not only careful planning at the desk, but also supervision and guidance on site, where the normal operation of the port must succeed at the same time. This is what we rely on when selecting the best people,” says Ari Parviainen, Project Director, Port of Helsinki’s West Project.

“The development of functional transport connections and a vibrant Helsinki metropolitan area is a great opportunity for us. The West Harbour’s development is a very interesting and in many ways challenging entity. In the project, we will be able to utilise Sweco’s extensive experience in large and multidimensional projects in demanding urban environments,” says Ville Poijärvi, Sweco’s Business Unit Director, Project and Construction Management.

According to the concept plan commissioned by the Ministry of Education and Culture and the City of Helsinki, a world-class architecture and design museum would be built in the South Harbour area in the future as part of the wider overall development of the area for the use of city residents. Stockholm traffic would be fully concentrated in Katajanokka in 2030.

Further information:

Ville Poijärvi, Business Unit Director, Sweco, tel. +358 40 154 8302, ville.poijarvi@sweco.fi
Heini Jokinen, PR and Media Relations, Sweco, tel. +358 40 718 0063, heini.jokinen@sweco.fi
Port of Helsinki Mediadesk, tel. +358 40 506 5280, mediadesk@portofhelsinki.fi