Earth-fill dams, pontoon crossings and tunnel under Dnipro are being considered as options for linking left and right banks of Kyiv, - Kalashnyk
As an alternative to the bridges in Kyiv, there are plans to build backup crossings over the Dnipro. Work may begin as early as next week. In addition, the possibility of constructing a tunnel under the river is being considered.
According to Censor.NET, Mykola Kalashnyk, Ukraine’s Minister for Recovery, Infrastructure and Transport, said as much in an interview with Suspilne.
Details
Kalashnyk emphasised that the department’s top priority is to strengthen the existing infrastructure of bridges and protect them from attacks, in order to improve the resilience of the structures.
According to him, a rapid solution is currently being considered to link the left and right banks of Kyiv in the event of bridge damage – the construction of earthen embankments with pontoon crossings to maintain traffic across the Dnipro.
"The urgent measures are a dam and a pontoon bridge, which are being built quickly… This work has already begun. A coordination meeting on the matter was held at the President’s office. We have received all the tasks, prioritised according to their urgency. The city had not been dealing with this on its own, so a decision has now been taken to have the Ministry, the Reconstruction Agency, the military and the capital’s authorities take charge of this," the minister said.
He added that the construction of such crossings could take up to three months, and that the structures themselves should provide at least half the capacity of the existing bridges.
"Preparatory work is currently underway, and construction is set to begin shortly. We will be utilising the full range of infrastructure to ensure maximum traffic flow. On average, around 600,000 vehicles cross between the left and right banks every 24 hours. The aim is to maintain this capacity. That is why specific locations have been identified where construction will begin," said Kalashnyk.
It is also noted that the locations where construction will begin have already been identified. Such work is planned not only in Kyiv, but also in other regions of Ukraine, and not only on the Dnipro.
The priority is to preserve the bridges
At the same time, the ministry is considering other options, including the construction of prefabricated concrete structures and, in the long term, the construction of a tunnel under the Dnipro. However, such projects could cost tens of billions of hryvnias, so they can only be carried out with the support of partners.
However, the top priority remains preserving the bridges and preventing their destruction. To this end, "as much equipment as possible has been deployed", the minister added.
"It is clear that every bridge has a safety margin. And our first task is to ensure air defence, which we are working on in conjunction with the military. In other words, the first priority is to prevent an attack. The second is to ensure protection. The third is rapid restoration. And the fourth is to make decisions regarding alternative reserve crossings, that is, the construction of new alternative bridge infrastructure," added Kalashnik.
What led up to it?
- It was previously reported that the South Bridge in Kyiv is completely closed to traffic, whilst restrictions have been imposed on the other three bridges during the state of emergency.
- On the evening of 2 October, the Russian army struck the South Bridge in Kyiv for the fourth time during a drone attack.
- In addition, the Russians attacked the Northern Bridge in Kyiv: a drone struck one of the bridge’s supports, and traffic has been halted.
- It later emerged that traffic on the North Bridge in Kyiv had been partially restricted following an attack by the Russian Federation; repair work is currently underway.
