Russia attacks bridges in Kiev, Ukraine plans alternative crossings

On Saturday morning, Russia launched an attack on the North Bridge in Kiev. Just a day earlier, Russian drones struck the Southern Bridge, which runs through one of the three lines of the Kiev metro. The consequences of these attacks are serious - the authorities had to close traffic in both directions on the South Bridge and restrict crossings on the Paton Bridge and the Metro Bridge, which also have a metro line running through them.

Priority: safety and traffic flow

The Minister of Reconstruction, Infrastructure and Transport of Ukraine, Mykola Kalashnyk, in an interview with the Suspilne portal, emphasized that the authorities' priority is to secure the capital's bridges against further attacks. At the same time, work on the construction of a river embankment and a pontoon bridge that will connect both banks of the Dnieper are scheduled to start next week.

Urgent solutions include the construction of fortifications by the river and a pontoon crossing. Work has already started. A meeting on this matter with the president has also already taken place, Kalashnyk assured.

New crossings – not only for Kiev

As the minister informed, as many as 600,000 cars cross the bridges over the Dnieper every day in the capital. Therefore, work to secure existing bridges and build alternative crossings is crucial to maintaining transit and the daily functioning of the city. Moreover, similar activities are also planned in other Ukrainian cities.

In the longer term, the Ukrainian authorities are considering building a tunnel under the Dnieper. However, such a project would require an investment of one billion UAH and the involvement of foreign partners. Other proposals also include the construction of a crossing made of prefabricated concrete elements.