Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said that the capital is ready to take the Paton Bridge into the city's balance sheet and independently begin the process of its reconstruction if the state transfers the object to the community. According to the mayor, no real work on the restoration of the bridge has been started in recent years.
As Klitschko recalled, back in 2020, the Paton Bridge was transferred to the state as part of the "Great Construction" program. However, in six years, the state has not even prepared a reconstruction project. Because of this, the capital's authorities are declaring their readiness to take the facility over to the city's balance sheet in order to begin preparations for restoration.
According to the mayor, in the event of the bridge being transferred to Kyiv, the first priority will be to develop the necessary documentation and a reconstruction project. According to preliminary estimates, this process may take about a year and a half. Only after the design work is completed will it be possible to begin the direct repair of the bridge.
The Paton Bridge is one of the key transport links between the right and left banks of the Dnieper River in the capital. Its condition has been a cause for concern for several years.
Earlier, in the article with engineer Anna Minyukova, it was noted that the complete closure of the bridge is not currently being considered. There was also information about the possible closure of the so-called "gate to the Left Bank" due to the critical condition of the structure, which was allegedly confirmed by sources in the capital's authorities. However, Minyukova directly called such plans false.
According to the city's regulatory indicators, Patona is in the fifth — inoperable — technical condition. The last instrumental inspection of the structures was carried out in 2020. According to the operating rules, such facilities must either be repaired or completely closed to traffic.
However, according to experts, the situation with bridges in Ukraine is much broader: about a third of them are in a state of disrepair, but in fact continue to be used.
A special feature of the Paton Bridge is its construction - it is a fully welded bridge. Because of this, it is practically impossible to disassemble or repair it in parts without completely stopping traffic. A complete closure of the bridge would mean a complete stoppage of traffic flow.
Engineer Anna Minyukova notes that such a decision is difficult from a political point of view.
" This is a very unpopular political decision — a complete overlap. This is the main problem: it is politically unprofitable, so no one will do it ," she emphasized.
So for now, the Paton Bridge continues to operate, despite its critical technical condition, and the issue of its reconstruction remains open.
