Sundström’s road project on main road 8 between Vassor and Ölis has proceeded faster than planned. Work started in October 2020 and is expected to be completed up to 12 months ahead of schedule, during October 2021. In the six kilometers between Vassor and Ölis, the road will be completely rebuilt. To learn more about the project’s current situation, go to Sundström’s website. (in Finnish)

We interviewed Sanna Kara, who oversees land surveying at Sundström, about the use of Infrakit in the project.

Project background and plans

The planned stretch consists of 5.4 km on main road 8 between Vassor and Ölis. In the plan, the road is levelled primarily in its existing location, with 700 meters moved slightly to a new position. The intersections for roads Vassorintie (road 17811), Åkersidsvägen, Rölandsvägen, Fjärdträskintie, Heidonavägen and road 7260 Ölis are improved by renewing the intersection and/or road contours. Additional noise protection will also be provided along the road in the form of banks and barriers.

Other changes along this stretch:

• Lighting will be renewed along the entire section, as previously only the intersections and the end of the stretch were lit.
• On main road 8, between cross section intervals 400 and 1290, the cross section is widened to reserve space for a median barrier.
• Between cross section intervals 2000 and 4500 on main road 8, a section of 2 + 2 lanes with a median barrier will be built to enable overtaking.
• An elk fence will be built along the entire stretch, and the Aittamäki animal crossing tunnel will be built where the overtaking section is.
• Changes to intersections and bus stops will also be made.
• The project also includes the construction of a median barrier on main road 8 between Stormossen and Koivulahti.

Deployment and use of Infrakit in the project

We use the Infrakit cloud service in all projects in our organization. In this project, we started using Infrakit well in advance, even before the work started, for example by viewing the designs on site. The design documentation was submitted directly to the contractor via Infrakit, after which we downloaded the documentation for reviewing and converted the data into formats suitable for the machinery.

All of the project’s as-built measurements were transferred directly to Infrakit, where the client and contractor were able to check the quality and progress of work, meaning that Infrakit also functioned as a so-called project bank for the measurements.
Machinery quality control was also carried out with the aid of the Infrakit program (weekly monitoring of the as-built dimensions).

What was of the greatest benefit to you?

Timeliness of the data, quality control and progress monitoring. The installation engineers and machine operators, as well as the supervisor, also had access to the Infrakit FIELD application, in which they were able to monitor work progress and view designs.

What is your view of the future of digitalization in the industry?

Digitalization is, of course, the future, so I feel that Infrakit will also be a great tool for meeting the clients’ requirements then. It is essential to have a collaboration platform to which all parties have access.

How did the implementation of Infrakit affect working?

We have been using Infrakit for a long time, and we use it in every project. We are already quite used to using it, but when compared with the time before Infrakit, I would say that now it is easier to manage projects as a whole.

Would you recommend Infrakit for similar projects?

In a project of this size, Infrakit has been easy to use. It has provided us with a common platform that has helped the installation engineers, machine operators, supervisors, persons in charge of land surveying as well as the client’s representatives stay updated on the designs and project progress, which has facilitated the management of the project. In other words, I would recommend Infrakit for similar projects.

Photos: Sundström