Traffic Lights Switch On at Hatanpää and Partola as Tram Works Move Forward
Traffic lights will replace the temporary roundabout at the Hatanpää–Tampereen valtatie junction, with new signals switching to flashing yellow from 2 September; similar signal changes will remove temporary roundabouts in Partola, Pirkkala.
Tamperelainen reports that traffic signal poles installed in July and August at the Hatanpään valtatie–Tampereen valtatie junction will begin flashing yellow on 2 September. The controversial central roundabout at that intersection will be taken out of service and replaced by traffic lights as part of the Pirkkala–Linnainmaa tram construction.
The city and the tram alliance say the poles were installed in July–August and the lights will be switched on once final checks are complete; YLE reports the lights will switch on in flashing-yellow mode from 2 September, with full operation expected toward the end of week 37 after final checks. At the Hatanpään valtatie–Tampereen valtatie junction the temporary construction roundabout will be removed and the crossing converted into a four-way signalised intersection around the end of week 37. When the signals come into use all lanes at the junction will reopen and Jokikatu will become one-way from Viinikka toward Hatanpää.
Motorists should also expect revised turning patterns: left turns from Tampereen valtatie toward Hämeenpuisto and from Viinikka toward the southbound Hatanpään valtatie will be rerouted via Vuolteenkatu and Jokikatu respectively. The temporary zipper-merge on Tampereen valtatie will end. A weekday through-traffic ban on Hatanpään valtatie between Tampereen valtatie and Lahdenperänkatu will remain in force from 06:00 to 18:00, excluding public transport and property access.
YLE further reports that Jokikatu is expected to return to two-way traffic later this autumn after the Viinikanlahden bridge opens. The Viinikanlahden bridge opening will also bring traffic lights to that junction.
In Pirkkala’s Partola area, traffic lights will be activated at Naistenmatkantie’s junctions with Kaartotie and Isomäentie and at the Naistenmatkantie–Lidl Pirkkala access, allowing removal of the site’s temporary roundabout. The north-side pedestrian and cycle path on Naistenmatkantie will open between Isomäentie and the Prisma underpass, while final fit-out work, including installation of the tram’s overhead wires, continues.
Final traffic arrangements along the new tram corridor are planned to be in place by 2027. Passenger service on the Pirkkala–Linnainmaa tram is scheduled to begin in August 2028 between Kauppi campus and Ruotula stops, and between Sori Square and Partola stops.
Catch the full story over at Tamperelainen
