GRK was selected to implement the improvement of national road 5, the value of the contract is approximately EUR 68 million

GRK Infra Plc                                      Investor News          4 May 2026 at 3.30 p.m.  

GRK has been selected to implement the improvement project of national road 5 between Leppävirta and Palokangas. The client of the approximately EUR 68 million contract is the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency. The agreement was signed on 4 May 2026, and the project was included in GRK’s order backlog.  The project is estimated to be completed by 2029. 

The design and implementation project won by GRK is located in the area of the municipality of Leppävirta and comprises a road section of approximately 17 kilometres.  It is part of the more extensive improvement of the Leppävirta-Kuopio section of national road 5, which is one of the most important traffic investments in Eastern Finland.

During the project, national road 5 will mainly be improved by developing the current road. The road will be implemented as a median-barrier passing lane road and all at-grade junctions will be removed. Five multi-level junctions will be built to replace them, located in, Savonniemi, Kalmalahti, Heinävedentie, Oikearanta and Palokangas. In addition, approximately 15 concrete or pipe bridges will be built in the project. The project area starts approximately six kilometres north of the Leppävirta built-up area and ends at the Palokangas multi-level junction.

"This is a very significant traffic project for Eastern Finland. National road 5 is a central road for both business and long-distance traffic. We will start planning the project immediately and construction will begin in August. This project is significant in scale, as it involves the construction of numerous multi-level junctions and bridges. We will also carry out extensive groundwater protection and noise prevention measures, including noise barriers and road safety barrier solution," says GRK’s Project Manager Markku Hokkanen.

"GRK has solid experience in major road projects, as we have carried out two significant national road projects in Finland: VT 4 north of Leivonmäki and VT 9 between Lotteinen and Jännevirta. As they are coming to an end, it’s good to have a new significant civil engineering and road construction project in our work backlog," says Business Director Jaakko Mäkelä.

The aim of the project is to improve traffic safety, traffic flow and travel times. The current road section does not meet the requirements set for national roads. The overtaking options have been limited and the volume of heavy traffic is significant. The aim is to enable a speed level of 100 km/h on the entire stretch. The average daily traffic of national road 5 is currently approximately 7,550  vehicles, of which approximately 10 per cent is heavy traffic. The traffic volume is expected to increase to approximately 9,000  vehicles per day by 2050.

The project’s client is the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency and the contact authority is the ELY Centre.

National road 5 Leppävirta-Palokangas

• Project area: Leppävirta (Northern Savo)
• Project value. approximately EUR 68 million
• Customer: Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency
• Contact authority: ELY Centre
• Length of road section: approximately 17 km
• Implementation: median-barrier passing lane road, five multi-level junctions, approximately 15 bridges
• Start of construction: autumn 2026