Finnish national road 2

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National Road 2 (Valtatie 2) is a main road in Finland. It runs from Palojärvi, Vihti (where it meets Highway 1) to Mäntyluoto, Pori. The route is about 227 km (141 miles) long and has existed since 1938.

Today the road is mostly two lanes, a typical Finnish road. There is a 1 km stretch of motorway at the northern end, the shortest motorway in Finland, and a bypass around Pori that is about 7 km long. The road passes through several towns, including Karkkila, Forssa, Humppila, Huittinen, Kokemäki, Harjavalta, and Ulvila.

A brief history:
- In 1938, the Helsinki–Pori route was designated as national road 2. It followed a long, evolving path via many different roads.
- The section from Helsinki to Karkkila was built between 1942 and 1957, and the Karkkila–Pori section was completed in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
- The original road was 8 meters wide and winding in places. In the 1970s a safer, smoother route was built around Olkkala.
- Parts of the old road were reclassified as regional roads. A problematic section between Olkkala and Karkkila was bypassed in 1997.
- The Pori–Friitala section was widened to four lanes in the late 1990s.
- The Pori–Mäntyluoto section received its highway number in 1996; it used to be regional road 265. That stretch is straight but narrow, with a speed limit of 80 km/h.