A UN body has approved a Finnish proposal to extend European Route 16 from Rauma to Kotka. The designation could bring more EU funding.
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The E16 is not a direct road route as there are no direct passenger ferries linking its segments in Scotland and Norway, or linking to the proposed Finnish extension. Image: Mapcreator.io / Joel Peltonen / Yle. Käännösteksti Maiju Hakalahti / Yle
European Route 16 will expand to Finland. The road transport committee of the UN Economic Commission for Europe has accepted a proposal made last spring by Finland whereby the road will continue from Rauma on the west coast to Kotka on the southeast coast.
Today, the E16 road runs from Derry, Northern Ireland, through Scotland and then from Norway to Gävle on Sweden’s east coast. However it won’t be possible to cover the entire route by car, as there are at the moment no direct passenger ferries linking its segments in Scotland and Norway, or connecting to Gävle to Rauma.
As the crow flies, the latter two ports are 240 km apart – but nearly 1600 km by road and the Umeå-Vaasa car ferry further north over the Gulf of Bothnia.
In the future, the E16 will cover 400 kilometres in Finland.
The Finnish segment will include the current national road 12 between Rauma and Kouvola and national road 15 between Kouvola and Kotka’s Mussalo harbour, which is Finland’s biggest container port.
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Finland’s largest container port is in Kotka. Image: Kalle Purhonen / Yle
At present, there are no passenger ship connections from Kotka to the European mainland. A previous maritime link between Kotka and Sillamäe in eastern Estonia closed down in the early 2000s as it was not financially viable.
Near Tampere, the E16 road will run through the Tampere Ring Road (formerly national road 60). Finland already includes parts of seven European routes, which are key roads connecting European countries.
Funding not guaranteed
Representatives of the governing parties welcomed the decision. Minister of Transport, Communications and the Interior Lulu Ranne (Finns) said that the solution will strengthen transport links between east and west.
Matias Marttinen, chair of the National Coalition Party (NCP) parliamentary group – who represents Rauma – said that the decision will improve the chances of getting funding for the stretch of road from the EU and from the government led by PM Petteri Orpo (NCP).
However, the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency (FTIA) notes that funding will not come automatically.
A change in road numbering does not necessarily result in improvement in a road’s condition, Pekka Rajala, Director of the FTIA’s Planning Division, told Yle. He noted that roads are planned and maintained according to traffic levels.
UN Secretary General to make announcement
The next step in the process is up to the UN, which oversees the Economic Commission for Europe.
Secretary General António Guterres is to notify the three current E16 countries of the extension.
The amendment is accepted unless any state objects to it within six months. In Finland, the change is set to be signed off on by President Alexander Stubb.
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Publish date : 2024-10-30 09:45:00
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