Another infrastructure megaproject is starting in Kyiv – the overhaul of the Kharkiv highway. Its cost is estimated at over 1.26 billion hryvnias, which has caused a wave of criticism among experts and the public. After all, sums of this scale in conditions of war and limited resources are perceived as a risk of further “development” of the budget, when under newly discovered conditions, expenses may increase at least twice.
Kharkiv highway, located in the Dniprovs'kyi and Darnyts'kyi districts, has a history dating back to the 1930s. Today it is one of the key highways of the left bank, but it is not characterized by constant traffic jams. Despite this, the city authorities decided not to limit themselves to current repairs, but to launch a full-scale expansion.
The project contractor was the company Avtostrada, which won the tender, bypassing Avtomagistral-Pivden. Activists emphasize that these are the companies that traditionally divide road tenders in the capital among themselves. Avtostrada is known for record-breakingly expensive contracts - from emergency repairs to the metro section on Demiivska for half a billion to the construction of a section of the Podilsko-Voskresensky bridge for almost two billion.
Urban planners question the feasibility of this particular reconstruction format. According to the project, the highway is planned to be widened in some places to 23.5 meters, which means cutting down almost a hundred trees. And all this is on a site where there have never been traffic jams. At the same time, instead of arranging above-ground pedestrian crossings, as required by modern standards, only cosmetic changes and the installation of expensive elevators in underground crossings, which often do not work, are envisaged.
A separate item of expenditure will be the Kharkiv overpass, built in 1947. It is in extremely dilapidated condition and requires reconstruction. Kyivavtodor has already announced a tender for the development of project documentation worth 17.8 million hryvnias. And this is only the documentation - not the construction itself. At the same time, the project provides for the return of the second tram track and the creation of bicycle infrastructure, but these works are not included in the total amount of 1.26 billion.
According to experts, the Kharkiv highway has become an example of demonstrative spending on projects that do not solve the city's real transport problems. There are no traffic jams - but there will be a highway. There are no accidents - but there will be bumpers and higher speeds. However, the main thing is missing - pedestrian safety.
This seems especially cynical in a time of war, when the city budget should be directed towards shelter, restoration of critical infrastructure, and repair of emergency bridges. While strategic facilities wait for years for reconstruction, Kyiv is investing hundreds of millions in roads that could have been repaired many times cheaper.
The Kharkiv highway risks becoming not an example of development, but another symbol of waste – a high-profile project without obvious need, where the price of a kilometer of repairs reached a fantastic 250 million hryvnias.
