Ring I (pronounced "ring one", , ) is the busiest
road in Finland, carrying up to 113,000 vehicles per day. It is the innermost of the three
beltway
A ring road (also known as circular road, beltline, beltway, circumferential (high)way, loop or orbital) is a road or a series of connected roads encircling a town, city or country. The most common purpose of a ring road is to assist in reducin ...
s in the
Helsinki capital region
The Helsinki capital region (, ) is the area formed by the cities of Espoo, Helsinki, Kauniainen and Vantaa in Finland.In the association of municipalities and other official municipal contexts, the capital region includes the following four citi ...
, numbered as regional route 101 and runs from the easternmost part of
Espoo
Espoo (, ; ) is a city in Finland. It is located to the west of the capital, Helsinki, in southern Uusimaa. The population is approximately . It is the most populous Municipalities of Finland, municipality in Finland. Espoo is part of the Helsi ...
to
Itäkeskus
Itäkeskus (, literal translation ''East center'') is a '' quarter'' in the neighbourhood of Vartiokylä (as of the 1980s) in Helsinki, Finland. The district's main attraction is the largest covered-in shopping mall in the Nordic countries, Itis ...
in eastern
Helsinki
Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...
. The total length is , of which are in Helsinki. It is primarily intended for local traffic—before the large road numbering change in the 1990s and the reconstruction of
Ring III
Kehä III (''"ring three"'', ''National road 50''; or or ; or ) is an important Highways in Finland, highway in Southern Finland. It is the outermost of the three beltways in Helsinki capital region, and the first one to be built. It lies ac ...
, Ring I was also designated as a
bypass for avoiding Helsinki centre.
Overview
Ring I has at least two
lane
In road transport, a lane is part of a roadway that is designated to be used by a single line of vehicles to control and guide drivers and reduce traffic conflicts. Most public roads (highways) have at least two lanes, one for traffic in eac ...
s per direction for its entire length but a
speed limit
Speed limits on road traffic, as used in most countries, set the legal maximum speed at which vehicles may travel on a given stretch of road. Speed limits are generally indicated on a traffic sign reflecting the maximum permitted speed, express ...
that never exceeds owing to heavy traffic. With the introduction of new grade-separated
interchanges, provisions have been made to increase the speed limits to 70–80 km/h. Eventually, all of the junctions on Ring I will be upgraded to grade-separated interchanges. However, the road was not originally constructed as a
motorway
A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway, and expressway. Other similar terms ...
, which limits its capacity..
See also
*
Ring II
Ring II (pronounced "ring two", , ; also known as ''Kilonväylä''
*
Ring III
Kehä III (''"ring three"'', ''National road 50''; or or ; or ) is an important Highways in Finland, highway in Southern Finland. It is the outermost of the three beltways in Helsinki capital region, and the first one to be built. It lies ac ...
*
Itäväylä
Itäväylä (the Eastern Highway, Swedish: Österleden) is a motorway-like road in the Greater Helsinki area of Finland, mainly in the Helsinki conurbation. It is part of the Finnish regional road 170 (, ). The road begins in Kalasatama, Sörn ...
*
Länsiväylä
Länsiväylä (the Western Highway, Swedish: Västerleden) is a motorway in the Greater Helsinki area of Finland, mainly at the Helsinki conurbation. It is part of the Finnish national road 51. The road begins in Ruoholahti in western Helsink ...
*
Tuusulanväylä
The Finnish national road 45 (; ) is the 2nd class main route between the major cities of Helsinki and Hyvinkää in southern Finland. It runs from Käpylä in Helsinki to the Hyrylä in Tuusula as a motorway called ''Tuusula Highway'' (, ),
*
Vihdintie
References
External links
Ring roads in Finland
Roads in Finland
Streets in Helsinki
Transport in Helsinki
Transport in Espoo
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