The government decided in the budget rush to speed up the repayment of the road repair debt and start key road investment projects. According to Construction Industry RT, a good development direction seems to be emerging in channel financing at last, which must be maintained beyond government periods.
In the budget rush, the government showed an increase of almost 210 million euros for basic bus maintenance and the cancellation of the bus network repair debt for the year 2025. The money comes from the government's repair debt package of more than 500 million euros, half of which was put into use right at the beginning of the government term. The brisk start is already visible: approximately 4 kilometers of roads will be paved this year - more than twice last year's amount.
The rest of the repair debt was supposed to be distributed over the remaining three years of the government's term, but INFRA ry, which represents the infrastructure sector in RT, presented a preferential use of the money.
"We wanted two consecutive good years for the road system, when the repair debt does not increase. Now this will be realized, and the roads will also be significantly improved in 2025", Chairman of the Board of INFRA Juha Arvola toteaa.
Funding scattered over several years in small streams reduces the effectiveness of repair measures. The compression of the pace can be seen in everyone's everyday life: both in the duration of transport and journeys, as well as in safety.
"The paving workers came to thank them personally in the summer, when the express convoy was finally visible on the lower road network as well. We believe that the attitude movement in channel financing will lead to a wider awareness and a rationalization of the funding level in the longer term as well."
There are finally signs of a renewal of the highway policy
In light of the statistics, bus funding has been neglected for decades. The traces are barren: at the beginning of the year, the repair debt of Finland's waterway network was calculated to be 4,2 billion euros.
"Luckily, smart decisions pay off. With this budget scramble, the growth of the repair debt will freeze and a significant number of key investment projects will be launched. It is important that, in addition to adjusting the economy, the government also invests in growth investments, which infrastructure projects are specifically", CEO of INFRA and Deputy CEO of RT Paavo Syrjö says.
"There are now signs in the air of a renewal of the highway policy, but sustainable results still require that the future governments are also making a turnaround", Syrjö reminds.
INFRA is also calling for more research into bus infrastructure. The industry needs a research program to produce new information on the means by which the maintenance of roads can be made more efficient. In the future, we need to be able to accomplish more and more with bus money.
Additional information
- Paavo Syrjö, paavo.syrjo@rt.fi, tel. 040 560 1803, INFRA association
- Juha Arvola, juha.arvola@swerock.fi, tel. 0400 151 739, Peab Industri Oy
