Ring I

Regional Road 101
Regional Road 101
Yhdystie 101 (Finnish); Förbindelseväg 101 (Swedish);
Ring I; Kehä I; Ring I;
Route information
Length	24.2 km (15.0 mi)
Existed	1980–present
Major junctions
From	Itäväylä
To	Länsiväylä
Location
Country	Finland
Major cities	Helsinki
Highway system
	Highways in Finland;

Ring I (pronounced "ring one", Finnish: Kehä I, Swedish: Ring I) is the busiest road in Finland, carrying up to 113,000 vehicles per day. It is the innermost of the three beltways in the Helsinki capital region, numbered as regional route 101 and runs from the easternmost part of Espoo to Itäkeskus in eastern Helsinki. The total length is 24.2 kilometres (15.0 mi), of which 16 km (9.9 mi) are in Helsinki. It is primarily intended for local traffic—before the large road numbering change in the 1990s and the reconstruction of Ring III, Ring I was also designated as a bypass for avoiding Helsinki centre.

Overview

Ring I has at least two lanes per direction for its entire length but a speed limit that never exceeds 80 kilometres per hour (50 mph) owing to heavy traffic. With the introduction of new grade-separated interchanges, provisions have been made to increase the speed limits to 70–80 km/h^{[clarification needed]}. Eventually, all of the junctions on Ring I will be upgraded to grade-separated interchanges. However, the road was not originally constructed as a motorway, which limits its capacity.^{[clarification needed]}.

Ring I in the evening. Photo taken near Pukinmäki, in the northernmost tip of the road.
Rush hour comes early, as an accident forces westbound traffic to two lanes. Photo taken from a bridge in Pakila.
Tieto buildings line Ring I in Pohjois-Haaga, Helsinki.
Ring I at Pirkkola, Helsinki where it crosses the Central Park.