Kyiv faces another two to three months before full traffic can return to the Pivdennyi Bridge, Infrastructure Minister Mykola Kalashnyk said. The city is pursuing a parallel response: two pontoon crossings over the Dnipro are already being built, with eight planned in total.
That matters because it turns the bridge disruption into a defined construction and traffic-management problem rather than a short interruption. The bridge was damaged after the reported Russian missile attack on the night of 27 October. Traffic has returned only in stages: one lane in each direction reopened on 30 October, and a second lane from the left bank to the right bank opened on 6 November. Full capacity remains further away.
Kalashnyk described the pontoon structures as rapid-build, full bridge crossings. He said Ukraine was receiving assistance from the United States and Japan for the crossings, while possible French involvement was also under consideration. Repair of the municipally owned bridge is expected to be paid from Kyiv’s city budget, according to the minister.
The value of the announcement is its acknowledgement that repair and temporary capacity must proceed together. But it should not be read as an operating replacement for the Pivdennyi Bridge. The report does not give locations, opening dates or complete capacity figures for the eight planned crossings. Kalashnyk mentioned a load of up to 130 vehicles per day for one crossing, without saying whether that figure applies across the programme or how the crossings will fit into Kyiv’s traffic system.
Kalashnyk also mentioned a proposal, brought by an intermediary company, for a Dnipro tunnel in the capital that could cost from €500 million. The supplied report gives no indication that a formal project decision or feasibility process has begun. For now, the concrete development is the repair timetable and the start of work on two temporary crossings.
Sources
- Українська правда · Source date: 2026-11-14
Independent editorial content. WUA is not affiliated with any political party. 2026-11-14