The Ministry of Transport's budget proposal would cut basic road maintenance by 11 percent by 2027. The road maintenance budget will fall by as much as 26 percent, even though the heavy rains of the summer showed that the need for maintenance and preparedness for the road network is increasing. According to INFRA ry, the downward spiral in basic road maintenance threatens to continue into the 2030s unless the direction of funding is changed. Stronger RDI investments are also needed as a solution.
The Ministry of Finance proposes EUR 1,270 million for basic road maintenance in the 2027 budget. The allocation is EUR 163 million less than in the current year.
Considering the increase in cost levels, the purchasing power of financing will clearly weaken.
According to INFRA ry, which represents infrastructure contractors in the Finnish Construction Industry Federation, the appropriation is not sufficient to secure the condition of the road network in changing conditions.
"Finland cannot be prepared for climate change, growing transport needs and a changed security environment if funding for road maintenance lags behind cost developments. A level of funding must be secured for basic road maintenance that stops the growth of repair debt. The last time this was achieved for roads was in 2025, when funding for basic road maintenance was 1,6 billion euros," says the CEO. Paavo Syrjö says.
Heavy rain washes savings down the drain – impact with RDI
The heavy rains of the summer of 2026 showed concretely what a changing climate means for Finland's roads. When a road collapses or the pavement crumbles, it's not just about infrastructure, but also about whether people can get to work safely, children to school, and goods to their destination.
"We must have the prerequisites to prepare. We cannot build new flood-resistant solutions and save at the same time," INFRA's leading expert Nina Raitanen concretize.
The state's transport network repair debt already exceeds four billion euros. As construction costs rise, the same amount of euros is sufficient for a smaller number of repairs each year.
"The repair debt cannot be solved by simply increasing appropriations. New solutions are also needed to make the roads last longer and make maintenance more efficient. An annual investment of just a few million euros in infrastructure research will pay for itself many times over in lower maintenance costs," Raitanen promises.
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INFRA has presented a road infrastructure RDI program for the next government term, including the development of new materials, digitalization, and structures that adapt to climate change – read more from the previous press release.
Additional information
CEO Paavo Syrjö; paavo.syrjo@infra.fi, TWO TWO WHEN TWO
Leading expert Nina Raitanen; nina.raitanen@infra.fi, TWO TWO WHEN TWO