Roads in Finland - Classification of Public Roads

Classification of Public Roads

The classification and numbering system of state-maintained roads of Finland is as follows:

• Main roads Class I (Finnish: valtatiet; Swedish: riksvägar): 1–39 (between major cities)
• Main roads Class II (Finnish: kantatiet; Swedish: stamvägar): 40–99 (between regional centers)
• Regional roads (Finnish: seututiet; Swedish: regionalvägar): 100–999 (between large municipalities or alternate routes)
• Connecting roads (Finnish: yhdystiet; Swedish: förbindelsevägar): 1000–9999 (connecting to a larger road)
• Local roads (Finnish: paikallistiet; Swedish: bygdevägar): 11000–19999 (between villages cf. farm-to-market road)

Streets are maintained by the local municipality. Winter maintenance of roads and streets is managed by a local authority. Regional roads and connecting roads cf. county highways and roads. Main roads cf. Interstates or U.S. routes.

All main roads and almost all regional roads are paved. They are generally greater than 7 metres (23 ft) wide. About half of the connecting and local roads are paved. They are generally smaller, and care must be taken with regards to oncoming traffic, despite the general speed limit of 80 kilometres per hour (50 mph). Connecting and local roads are not usually marked with numbers, but with ordinary traffic signs.