My Oulu: A season of renovation begins at the Marketplace

The municipal infrastructure renewal at the Oulu Marketplace which began last year will continue this fall. The quay, which has fallen into disrepair, will now be renovated as well. More depth will be dredged into the dock basin for potential ship restaurants.

Oulu Marketplace’s municipal infrastructure’s renewal began last August, and the work was continued in the fall until the weather no longer allowed it. The renewal consisted of renewing water mains, plumbing and electricity to enhance and modernize the conditions of marketplace vendors. A new support structure was built on the side of the parking area.

The renewal of municipal infrastructure will be finished during this fall. Temporary asphalt and tarmac will be removed, and the marketplace’s pavement will be restored. Additionally, a line of trees and benches will be placed along the edge of Rantakatu to enhance the marketplace’s comfort. The work is estimated to last until the end of October.

Simultaneously with the renewal work, the quay’s renovation will also begin between the Kiikeli Bridge and Kaarlenväylä Bridge. The quay has a lot of decay damage and is tilted and sunken at places. If the quay is not renovated, using the most damaged parts would potentially have to be prohibited.

In connection with the quay renewal, the marketplace pedestrian routes, their lighting and structures will be renewed as well. New moorings will be built to the marketplace shore for ship restaurants and cruise ships. The moorings will include fixed water, sewer and electricity connections. The quay will be made fully accessible from both northern and southern directions.

The quay’s renewal does not affect the operations of the marketplace. The marketplace will be active as normal in the summer of 2025. The shore route will be closed, however. Pedestrian traffic will be directed by a temporary route via Rantakatu. There will be a guided route to the storagehouse businesses along the shore from the Kiikeli Bridge.

More depth for ships

During the quay’s renovation, the dock basin will be dredged to be deeper and the theater’s shore structure will be renewed.

“By dredging we want more depth by the dock to make room for ship restaurants in the future”, explains the city of Oulu’s Construction Engineer Vilho Vanhatalo.

The bay of the theater’s shore structure will be demolished, and an exact copy will be built to replace it. The bay is original from the time the theater was built in the 1970s.

In total, the quay construction, dredging and bay rebuilding will all be finished by the end of 2025.