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Roads in Finland comprise of highways, paved and gravel roads which are divided in four to five classes according to their local importance.
The total length of public roads, private and forest roads and streets in Finland is about .
The classification and numbering system of state-maintained roads of Finland is as follows:
* Main roads Class I ( fi, valtatiet; sv, riksvägar): 1–39 (between major cities) 
*Main roads Class II ( fi, kantatiet; sv, stamvägar): 40–99 (between regional centers) 
*Regional roads ( fi, seututiet; sv, regionalvägar): 100–999 (between large municipalities or alternate routes) 
*Connecting roads ( fi, yhdystiet; sv, förbindelsevägar): 1000–9999 (connecting to a larger road) 
*Local roads ( fi, paikallistiet; sv, bygdevägar): 11000–19999 (between villages cf. farm-to-market road)
Asphalt cartel firms ordered to pay 40m euros in damages
yle 28.11.2013
Finnish Transport Agency
Finnish Road Administration
by Matti Grönroos {{Roads in Europe
Roads in Finland comprise of highways, paved and gravel roads which are divided in four to five classes according to their local importance.
The total length of public roads, private and forest roads and streets in Finland is about .
Classification of public roads
The classification and numbering system of state-maintained roads of Finland is as follows:
* Main roads Class I ( fi, valtatiet; sv, riksvägar): 1–39 (between major cities)
*Main roads Class II ( fi, kantatiet; sv, stamvägar): 40–99 (between regional centers)
*Regional roads ( fi, seututiet; sv, regionalvägar): 100–999 (between large municipalities or alternate routes)
*Connecting roads ( fi, yhdystiet; sv, förbindelsevägar): 1000–9999 (connecting to a larger road)
*Local roads ( fi, paikallistiet; sv, bygdevägar): 11000–19999 (between villages cf. farm-to-market road)
Street
A street is a public thoroughfare in a built environment. It is a public parcel of land adjoining buildings in an urban context, on which people may freely assemble, interact, and move about. A street can be as simple as a level patch of dirt, ...
s are maintained by the local municipality. Winter maintenance of roads and streets is managed by a local authority. Regional roads and connecting roads cf. county highways and roads. Main roads cf. Interstates or U.S. route
The United States Numbered Highway System (often called U.S. Routes or U.S. Highways) is an integrated network of roads and highways numbered within a nationwide grid in the contiguous United States. As the designation and numbering of these hi ...
s.
All main roads and almost all regional roads are paved. They are generally wider than . About half of the connecting and local roads are paved. They are generally narrower, and oncoming traffic is a potential hazard, despite the general speed limit of . Connecting and local roads are usually not marked with numbers, but just with ordinary traffic signs.
Highways
The main highways are all paved and have at least two lanes; they are better maintained than ''main'' and ''regional'' roads. Highways numbered from 1 to 7 radiate from the capital Helsinki (Highways 2, 5 and 6 diverge from 1, 4 and 7, respectively), while highways 8 to 10 radiate from Turku on the south-western coast of Finland. Highways 11 and 12 originate in Tampere. The rest of the highways start from other major cities. Sections of highway between major cities have often been upgraded to motorways, for example between Helsinki and Tampere. Since Finland is a large and sparsely populated country, there is no need to upgrade all highways to motorways.Other roads
Many private roads may be used by the general public, and may have different speed limits and different regulations from public roads. These are usually dead ends in the countryside. Private roads are maintained by the community using them. They may not be eligible for communal subsidies. There is about of these servicing the inhabitants of rural areas. Cottage roads comprise about as much and forest roads about . Some of these are not public rights of way, which is usually indicated by a sign. Forest roads are not regularly maintained, nor addressed foremergency service
Emergency services and rescue services are organizations that ensure public safety and health by addressing and resolving different emergencies. Some of these agencies exist solely for addressing certain types of emergencies, while others deal wit ...
s. Some ice roads, which form seasonally, depending on temperature, are maintained by the state, the longest one being the Koli Ice Road, which cuts off the distance between Lieksa and Koli. Private ice roads are also sometimes built by the inhabitants of lakeland and archipelago.
Controversies
Price cartel
Lemminkäinen
Lemminkäinen () or Lemminki () is a prominent figure in Finnish mythology. He is one of the heroes of the ''Kalevala'', where his character is a composite of several separate heroes of oral poetry. He is usually depicted as young and good-loo ...
and seven smaller companies were convicted of forming a price cartel to overcharge local authorities millions of euros for road paving work ( asphalt). In 1999 the Supreme Administrative Court of Finland
The Supreme Administrative Court of Finland (, ) is the highest court in the Finnish administrative court system, parallel to the Supreme Court of Finland. Its jurisdiction covers the legality of the decisions of government officials, and its ...
ruled that the companies colluded on prices and other matters at least between 1994 and 2002. In November 2013 the Helsinki District Court ordered the companies to pay the largest damages in Finnish legal history: 40m euros to forty Finnish municipalities.yle 28.11.2013
References
External links
Finnish Transport Agency
Finnish Road Administration
by Matti Grönroos {{Roads in Europe