Pontoon Crossings Coming to Kyiv Following Russian Strikes on Key Bridges, Media Reports
Officials said the crossings could restore at least 50% of bridge capacity as repairs continue and a tunnel option is also under review.
- Minister for Recovery, Infrastructure and Transport Mykola Kalashnyk announced plans to build backup pontoon crossings over the Dnipro River, with construction potentially starting next week.
- Persistent Russian drone strikes from Oct. 1 to Oct. 3 damaged Kyiv's Southern and Northern bridges, disrupting transit for about 600,000 vehicles crossing the river daily.
- Kalashnyk stated construction could take up to three months, with the crossings designed to provide at least 50% of the capacity of existing structures.
- Volodymyr Kreidenko, a Servant of the People MP, proposed reversible traffic across remaining bridges, while Andrii Koretskyi of the National Transport University cautioned that tunnels are not a quick solution.
- Although underground tunnels beneath the Dnipro are being considered, construction could cost tens of billions of hryvnias, making immediate protection of existing bridges the priority.
32 Articles
32 Articles
Under what conditions is the capital threatened by transport collapse? Russian attacks on Kiev bridges forced the capital to look for backup solutions between the left and right banks of Dniepra. Among the alternatives are pontoon crossings, the tunnel under the river and not only. RBK Ukraine asked the transport planning expert Dmitry Bespalov how real the idea of a pontoon crossing the Dnieper is and whether it should be afraid of a transport …
<p>In Kiev, backup crossings will begin to be built across the Dnieper, and in the future they are even considering a tunnel under the river. In Kiev, dams and pontoon crossings are being prepared in case of damage to bridges. In the future, the authorities are considering a tunnel under the Dnieper.</p>
EADaily, October 3, 2026 – Starting next week in Kiev, the construction of a backup crossing through the Dnieper in case of damage to bridges is announced in an interview with the "Public" Minister of Rehabilitation, Infrastructure and Transport, Nikolai Kalashnik.
Pontoon bridges with embankments should provide up to half of the capacity of the current crossing.
Pontoon crossings coming to Kyiv following Russian strikes on key bridges, media reports
A Ukrainian official said that the construction of pontoon crossings could take up to three months and would help traffic move through the capital, which remains heavily restricted after multiple bridge attacks.
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