Finnish steelmaker Ruukki has agreed a contract for the fabrication and installation of steel structures and for the delivery of foundation piles for the new Pekkala bridge to be built in Joensuu, Finland. The bridge is part of a project to improve the Joensuu ring road, the busiest traffic route in North Karelia. Ruukki otherwise has a strong role in the project and in addition is supplying the pipe piles for a total of ten underpasses and overpasses. The deliveries are worth a total of about €2.5 million.
Ruukki is responsible for the fabrication and installation of the load-bearing steel structures for the new Pekkala bridge and for delivery of the large piles used for the foundations of the bridge. Ruukki will deliver the bridge sections ready to install at the construction site.
The foundation piles will be made at Ruukki's Oulainen unit in Finland and deliveries will begin in April. Fabrication of the load-bearing steel structures will begin in summer 2010 at the Ylivieska unit and installation will start in autumn 2010. The new Pekkala bridge will open to traffic in 2012.