Street cleaning has started – here’s how hundreds of kilometres of roads are cleared

Cleaning begins in the city centre and continues into other districts. The first streets to be cleaned are Vaasanpuistikko, Sepänkyläntie (up to the urban area sign), and Koulukatu.

The city’s technical services began testing the cleaning equipment last week, and cycle path cleaning continues this week, so you may already spot cleaned sections around the city. This year, the city has a new vacuum street sweeper, which increases efficiency and improves equipment reliability compared to previous years.

Patience with temporary noise and traffic impacts

Street cleaning is mainly done at night to minimise traffic disruptions and ensure safe working conditions. However, noise may carry into nearby residences and disturb sleep. Therefore, cleaning on residential streets is avoided between 22.00 and 06.00.

Road users are asked for patience. Multiple machines may be operating in the same area at once, so choosing an alternative route or parking spot helps the work run more smoothly.

Due to sand removal from the streets, the tap water may experience discolouration, which can be cleared by running the water. The water required for sand removal is drawn from nearby fire pumping stations, causing significant flow changes in the pipelines. This may loosen sediment from the pipe walls, resulting in discoloured water. Vaasa Water apologises for any inconvenience caused by the sand removal process.

Super-class cycle paths cleaned by contractor

Contractors are assisting with the street cleaning. They are responsible for areas north of Pukinkulma, south of Lehtikuusentie, the former zoning area of Vähäkyrö, and all cycle paths with enhanced winter maintenance.

“If all equipment runs smoothly, the weather is favourable, and we can start in all areas at the same time, the 600 kilometres could be ready in four weeks,” says Isak Norrgård, Maintenance Manager at the City of Vaasa.

Contractor 06 Infra is responsible for cleaning the super-class cycle paths (bicycle lanes with enhanced winter maintenance). Their share of the total area to be cleaned is 62 kilometres.

This week, 06 Infra has started rough sand removal from the cycle paths. More thorough cleaning and street washing will begin next week. The work is expected to be completed within two weeks of the start.

Work depends on weather conditions

Dust suppression is an important goal in street cleaning, and water is used to keep dust down. Night frost may interrupt the work, as dampened streets become slippery when frozen. Frost can also damage the spray nozzles used for watering. On the other hand, rainfall may even be welcomed to assist with cleaning.

“In the end, it’s the weather that decides whether our plans hold. We aim to work at night, which also allows us to monitor temperatures in real time. If it’s freezing, we make sure the streets are safe to use again by morning,” says Markus Berg, CEO of 06 Infra.

Sand is analysed and reused

Besides sand, the cleaning process also removes other materials that have accumulated on the streets over the winter. Laboratory tests are taken from the collected sand to measure various concentrations.

The sand is transported to temporary storage sites and later reused, for example in landscaping work at the Suvilahti landfill site. However, sand from winter maintenance cannot be reused for sanding in future winters.