Kyiv announces alternative Dnipro crossings after Southern Bridge strike
Mayor Vitali Klitschko says Kyiv will provide 1 billion hryvnias for temporary crossings after a missile strike closed a major bridge to road and rail traffic.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko announced plans on 27 October for temporary crossings over the Dnipro River in Ukraine’s capital after a Russian missile strike closed the Southern Bridge to road and rail traffic, according to The Kyiv Independent. The crossings are intended to provide another way across the river for residents whose travel depends on the city’s bridges.
Klitschko made the announcement after a meeting of the city’s Capital Defense Council. He said military command would decide where the crossings go, with the locations coordinated in part by the Kyiv City Military Administration. The mayor said the city would provide 1 billion hryvnias, about $22 million, for the project.
How the Southern Bridge strike affected travel
The Kyiv Independent reported that at least one Russian ballistic missile hit the Southern Bridge on the morning of 27 October, leaving a large hole in the structure. With road and rail traffic stopped, commuters travelling to work from the largely residential left bank walked across the bridge instead. The crossing took about half an hour on foot, the outlet reported.
Reuters reported that Kyiv has six main bridges over the Dnipro, which divides the capital, and that people living and working on opposite banks rely on daily crossings. It reported that strikes on bridges in October disrupted travel for hundreds of thousands of people. The Southern Bridge closure therefore affects a route used for regular journeys across the city, beyond the immediate damage to the structure.
What Kyiv has decided about replacement crossings
Reuters reported that Klitschko described the council’s discussion as a project for combined water crossings and the roads leading to them. He gave no further details in that account. The military-led decision on locations means residents have not yet been told where the temporary crossings will be placed or when they could open.
The Kyiv Independent also reported that the council discussed additional technical measures to protect bridges, maintenance of bomb shelters and installation of mobile shelters. Separately, the Kyiv City Military Administration announced new restrictions on movement across the city’s bridges during air raid alerts. Those measures address travel and protection while the city considers how to maintain links across the river.
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Sources and context
- Kyiv approves alternative Dnipro crossings after Russian strikes on bridgesThe Kyiv Independent
- Kyiv plans to build water crossings as Russia escalates bridge strikesReuters, carried by The Straits Times
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.