The Hailuoto people made their own ice: \”Everyone is here at their own risk\”

There has been no official ice road to Hailuoto since 2022. At that time, the rescuer who was in the work task was drowned near the road.

An unofficial ice road made by local residents was opened between Hailuoto and Oulunsalo on Wednesday.

The ice road is about eight kilometers long, which is known to be the longest in Finland.

– Holes were drilled and measured every hundred meters. The carrying capacity is sufficient. There was half a meter of ice at its thickest and 35 centimeters at its thinnest.

In the official ice roads maintained by the Ely Center, the minimum ice thickness requirement has been 40 centimeters. However, according to Hentu, 35 cents is enough for a car. He says that a rough calculation shows that 30 centimes can carry 10,000 kilograms, as long as the ice is steel ice.

He thinks the ice road is currently safe.

– Everything can always happen, you can open up and more. Caution is needed and speeds need to be kept low.

There has been no official ice road since 2022. At that time, a rescuer who was on alert duty drowned near the road, when the tamping machine that was maintaining the ice road sank through the ice.

There have been unofficial ice roads before, if the ice was thick enough. For example, according to Hentu, the ice road was only opened in March last year.

\”Everyone travels here at their own risk\”

– Everyone is here at their own risk. However, it has been 50 years behind the life behind, and has been traveled here even in worse ice. The road is really good now.

Korpela reminds that the thickness of the ice has been measured and the area intended for driving has been ticked off, so you don’t drive on the road completely ignorant.

Hailuoto’s fixed connection, or the causeway, is now being built at a fast pace, the road will be completed at the end of 2026. As the bridge construction progresses, the currents will change, which can also affect the ice conditions.

So it is possible that the ice road can be driven for the last time this winter.

– This is probably the last winter. Nostalgia trips, how about driving in sunny weather and on a good road, says Korpela.