25.08.2022
Regional Board of Northern Ostrobothnia: Crossroads to implementation and northern connections to the top of the planning stack
Quickly invest in the planning of northern connections
From the point of view of the accessibility of Northern Ostrobothnia and the business environment for investments, widening and improving the Poikkimaantie road in Oulu will be central to the 2023 budget session. Stora Enso is planning a billion-dollar investment in Oulu. Improving the road is key to investment. The road connection to the port and factory is already congested and the level of service is inadequate. The Government of Northern Ostrobothnia emphasises that the construction of the road must start already in 2023 as part of the implementation of Stora Enso's investment.
The the Board of the Regional Assembly has followed in cooperation with great concern the outlook given to Northern Finland by the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Investment Programme, which implements the national 12-year transport system plan. As a repair movement, the the Board of the Regional Assembly requires that planning capacity be improved for key sites in Northern Ostrobothnia.
“Northern Ostrobothnia is currently in a weak situation in cooperation with regard to projects that are feasible in terms of planning readiness. The emphasis on planning readiness as the basis for selected projects in the fairway's investment programme is strong," says Jussi Ylitalo, President of the the Board of the Regional Assembly.
At the same time, the changed environment of world politics and the significant investments in the north bring the weight of the northern connections to a completely different level. This creates a need to increase planning capacity. In the case of key projects in Northern Ostrobothnia, the resources available for planning must therefore be promoted quickly and systematically. This means, in particular, faster planning for the realisation of the main line along the TEN-T core network corridors, as well as the targets of Vt 4 and Vt 8 in accordance in cooperation with the Main Bus Regulation.
NORTH NORTH APPLICATION
Jussi Ylitalo
President of the the Board of the Regional Assembly
Pauli Harju
Region Mayor
Additional information:
Jussi Ylitalo, Chairman of the Regional Board, tel. +358 45 160 6466
Markus Erkkilä, Director of Planning, tel. +358 40 685 4045
