Bridges in Kiev
Encyclopedia
- This article deals with the bridges in Kiev over the Dnieper River. For the bridge-like structures elsewhere in the city, see articles on Kiev's architecture and transport.
Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, that historically was situated on the right bank of the Dnieper River
Dnieper River
The Dnieper River is one of the major rivers of Europe that flows from Russia, through Belarus and Ukraine, to the Black Sea.The total length is and has a drainage basin of .The river is noted for its dams and hydroelectric stations...
, since 1925-27 covers both banks of the river whose width, as it flows through the city, reaches some several hundred metres. Additionally, several tributaries fall into the Dnieper inside or just north or south of the historic city. Currently there are seven bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
s spanning across the river and a few dozen bridges across the canals and Dnieper tributaries.
Due to the location and the width of the river, the bridges have always been a very attractive and hard to realize option throughout the long history of Kiev
History of Kiev
The history of Kiev, the largest city and the capital of Ukraine, is documented as going back at least 1400 years. Kiev was founded by three brothers, Kyi, Scheck, and Khoryv, and their sister Lybed. Kiev is named after Kyi, the eldest brother. The exact century of city foundation has not been...
.
The temporary floater bridges were known to have existed since the 12th century. The stationary bridges existed in Kiev from mid-19th century, but none of them survived through the turbulent events
Kiev Offensive
The 1920 Kiev Offensive , sometimes considered to have started the Soviet-Polish War, was an attempt by the newly re-emerged Poland, led by Józef Piłsudski, to seize central and eastern Ukraine, torn in the warring among various factions, both domestic and foreign, from Soviet control.The stated...
that followed the 1917 Russian Revolution.
Early history
According to the chronicles, the earliest floating bridge across the Dnieper RiverDnieper River
The Dnieper River is one of the major rivers of Europe that flows from Russia, through Belarus and Ukraine, to the Black Sea.The total length is and has a drainage basin of .The river is noted for its dams and hydroelectric stations...
in the area was built in the 1115. It was located near Vyshhorod
Vyshhorod
Vyshhorod is a city in the Kiev Oblast , in central Ukraine. It is the administrative centre of the Vyshhorodskyi Raion , and is located along the Dnieper River upstream from the national capital, Kiev...
or, according to different accounts, near the Vydubychi Monastery
Vydubychi Monastery
Vydubychi Monastery is an historic monastery in the Ukrainian capital Kiev.The monastery was established between 1070 and 1077 by Vsevolod, son of Yaroslav the Wise...
. Records exist about another floater in the 17th century with stationary approaches from the shores.
Such bridges could only be temporary as Dnieper ices in most winters at the Kiev's latitude
Latitude
In geography, the latitude of a location on the Earth is the angular distance of that location south or north of the Equator. The latitude is an angle, and is usually measured in degrees . The equator has a latitude of 0°, the North pole has a latitude of 90° north , and the South pole has a...
and the pillar
Column
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a vertical structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. For the purpose of wind or earthquake engineering, columns may be designed to resist lateral forces...
's icing and the roaring ice drift
Ice drift
Ice drift is movement of ice. An important type of ice drift is drift of the sea ice, i.e., of the drift ice. Unless specified otherwise, this article discusses the drift of the sea ice. The direction of the ice drift is the vector sum of the oceanic and atmospheric circulations, i.e., upper ocean...
each spring remain a concern even for modern bridges. Additionally, the river stream was especially strong before the Dnieper was dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
med in the 20th century. Therefore, the cross-river traffic was carried by boats and ferries throughout centuries.
First stationary bridges: late 19th to early-20th century
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
in the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
these engineering masterpieces of their time survived World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and the Russian Civil War
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
. Both were blown up in 1920 by the Polish
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
troops retreating from Kiev following their unsuccessful armed intervention into Ukraine
Kiev Offensive
The 1920 Kiev Offensive , sometimes considered to have started the Soviet-Polish War, was an attempt by the newly re-emerged Poland, led by Józef Piłsudski, to seize central and eastern Ukraine, torn in the warring among various factions, both domestic and foreign, from Soviet control.The stated...
.
Nicholas Chain Bridge
Suspension bridge
A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck is hung below suspension cables on vertical suspenders. Outside Tibet and Bhutan, where the first examples of this type of bridge were built in the 15th century, this type of bridge dates from the early 19th century...
rested on five pillars. Being one of the largest and most beautiful bridges in Europe, it was the pride for the city until it was blown up in 1920 by the Polish
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
troops. The heavily damaged bridge was not subject to the restoration and in 1925 a new bridge was constructed in its place under the name Yevheniya Bosh Bridge (see below).
Struve (Darnytskyi) Railroad Bridge
The second stationary bridge was built in 1868-1870 with the construction supervision conducted personally by Amand StruveAmand Struve
Amand Struve was a Baltic German engineer who worked in Kiev, Russian Empire . He is not known much outside of Kiev, and mostly to specialists....
. This over 1 kilometre long railroad truss bridge
Truss bridge
A truss bridge is a bridge composed of connected elements which may be stressed from tension, compression, or sometimes both in response to dynamic loads. Truss bridges are one of the oldest types of modern bridges...
was initially named to its constructor, engineer Struve. Standing on 13 piers, over 1 km (0.621372736649807 mi) long, the bridge was the longest in Europe at that time. During the construction Struve first in the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
used caisson
Caisson (engineering)
In geotechnical engineering, a caisson is a retaining, watertight structure used, for example, to work on the foundations of a bridge pier, for the construction of a concrete dam, or for the repair of ships. These are constructed such that the water can be pumped out, keeping the working...
method to lay the foundation . On February 17, 1870 the first train by the Kiev-Kursk
Kursk
Kursk is a city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kur, Tuskar, and Seym Rivers. The area around Kursk was site of a turning point in the Russian-German struggle during World War II and the site of the largest tank battle in history...
railroad company arrived through the bridge to the Kiev railroad station
Kiev Passenger Railway Station
Kiev Passenger Railway Station is a complex of Kiev's Central Station and adjoining "Southern Station," plus the adjacent Suburban Station, together serving more than 170,000 passengers per day . "Southern Station" is a misnomer in virtually universal usage in Kiev, referring to an entrance on the...
. Similarly to the Nicholas Bridge, the Struve Bridge survived World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and the Civil
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
war, but was blown up in 1920 by the retreating Polish
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
troops (see: Kiev Offensive
Kiev Offensive
The 1920 Kiev Offensive , sometimes considered to have started the Soviet-Polish War, was an attempt by the newly re-emerged Poland, led by Józef Piłsudski, to seize central and eastern Ukraine, torn in the warring among various factions, both domestic and foreign, from Soviet control.The stated...
).
Rusanivsky bridge
The bridge was built in 1906 and was blown up in 1943 by the retreating forces of Nazi Germany. Rusanivsky bridge connected the DarnytsiaDarnytsia
Darnytsia , is a raion of the Ukrainian capital Kiev.It is the southeastern raion of Kiev located on the left bank of Dnieper river. It borders Dnieper to its west with Holosiiv Raion of Kiev is lying across it, Dnipro Raion of Kiev city to its north, and Boryspil Raion of Kiev Oblast to its east...
region with the city of Kiev by the Brovary chaussée (highway). The bridge was designed by architect V.Apishkov. In 1965 in its place was erected the Metro Bridge and the Rusanivsky Metropolitan
Rapid transit
A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...
Bridge (extension of the first) which both are part of the Svyatoshyno-Brovary Subway Line (SBL)
Sviatoshynsko-Brovarska Line
The Sviatoshynsko-Brovarska Line , is the first line of the Kiev Metro, dating back to 1960. It includes some of the system's more historically significant stations, like Arsenalna, which at 105.5 meters is the deepest in the world and the next station Dnipro, which although the tunnel follows a...
.
Between WWI and WWII
New bridges were built in the early Soviet years but were destroyed in the first months of the 1941 Nazi German invasionOperation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
. Restored by forced labor of war prisoners and civilians during German occupation they were blown up again by Germans when they retreated from Kiev in November 1943.
Bosh bridges
Within months after the Polish troops blew up the original chain bridge, that very summer 1920 the Ukrainian engineer Evgeny PatonEvgeny Paton
Professor Evgeny Oscarovich Paton was a Ukrainian and Soviet engineer who established the E. O. Paton Electric Welding Institute in Kiev. He is father of Borys Paton....
proposed the reconstruction project that would have reused the old chains to be lifted from under water. However, rusting made the metallic parts of the old bridge unusable and for the following two years Paton worked on several projects of the Nicholas bridge's restoration. He ended up proposing to construct a totally new bridge but this proposal was declined by the supporters of the reusing of the old elements from underwater. The year of 1923 passed in arguing between the two proposals. The construction overseen by Paton was finished by 1925 and the completed bridge was named after the former Soviet People's Secretary
People's Secretariat
The People's Secretariat of Ukraine was the executive body of the Provisional Central Executive Committee of Soviets in Ukraine. It was formed in Kharkiv on December 30, 1917 by the Russian and other local Bolsheviks as the Ukrainian Soviet government and the opposition to the Central Rada and the...
of Internal Affairs and a fierce Bolshevik
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists , derived from bol'shinstvo, "majority") were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903....
Yevgeniya Bosch.
Following the Nazi attack on the Soviet Union
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
, the bridge was destroyed on September 18, 1941 by retreating Soviet forces. A ponton bridge was built on its place by forced labour under German occupation, which was destroyed again by German troops retreating from Kiev.
Darnytskyi Railroad Bridge
The replacement Darnytskyi railroad bridge was built in early 1920s but shared the fate of the Bosh Bridge. Destroyed in the first months of the Great Patriotic War, it was restored during GermanNazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
occupation by forced labor, and was destroyed again by retreating German troops.
During the Battle of Kiev
Battle of Kiev (1943)
The 1943 Battle of Kiev describes three strategic operations by the Soviet Red Army, and one operational counterattack by the Wehrmacht which took place in the wake of the failed German offensive at Kursk during World War II...
, Red Army's attempt to catch the bridge by landing forces was unsuccessful. The Germans blew up the bridge on the eyes of the Soviet landing force unit. The landing unit was disbanded for the operation failure.
Immediately after the liberation a temporary wooden bridge was built at the location of the blown up Darnytskyi bridge by the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
engineers in the record thirteen-day time (some sources cite thirty days) in the urgency to facilitate the pursuit of the German army
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
on its retreat from Ukraine. The record short construction time plan was met despite the frequent German bombing raids. 50,000 Kievans took part in the bridge construction.
Underwater tunnels
Two subway lines were planned to be laid underneath the bedrock of Dnieper riverDnieper River
The Dnieper River is one of the major rivers of Europe that flows from Russia, through Belarus and Ukraine, to the Black Sea.The total length is and has a drainage basin of .The river is noted for its dams and hydroelectric stations...
. One line (Northern) would have stretched from the Obolon neighborhood (Obolon Raion) and to what is known as Vygurivshchyna (Desna Raion) near Voskresenska Slobidka on the left-bank of Dnieper in the close proximity of Troieschyna
Troieschyna
Troieschyna is a historical neighbourhood, part of the Desnianskyi Raion, on the left bank of Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. It became part of Kiev municipality in 1988, prior to that it was a village.-External links:...
. Another line (Southern) was planned to cross Dnieper from the Zhukiv Island to Osokorky
Osokorky
Osokorky is a historical neighbourhood, on the left bank of Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. Osokorky metro station is situated in this neighborhood.-External links:...
(Darnytsia Raion).
The construction started in 1936 and was planned to be finished sometime in 1944. After the start of the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
all constructions (known as the Construction No.1) were suspended and afterward recognized as unreasonable. Nonetheless the entrances to the unfinished tunnels still exist around the mentioned neighborhoods, which are mostly unguarded.
Moskovskyi Bridge
The Moskovskyi ("Moscow") Bridge (50°29′26"N 30°32′09"E), designed by the architect A.V.Dobrovolsky and an engineer by G.B.Fux, was built in 1976. It is a cable-stayed bridgeCable-stayed bridge
A cable-stayed bridge is a bridge that consists of one or more columns , with cables supporting the bridge deck....
, with the beam
Beam (structure)
A beam is a horizontal structural element that is capable of withstanding load primarily by resisting bending. The bending force induced into the material of the beam as a result of the external loads, own weight, span and external reactions to these loads is called a bending moment.- Overview...
of the main span being held by a cluster of steel ropes which are fixed to a 115 meters tall A-pylon
Abutment
An abutment is, generally, the point where two structures or objects meet. This word comes from the verb abut, which means adjoin or having common boundary. An abutment is an engineering term that describes a structure located at the ends of a bridge, where the bridge slab adjoins the approaching...
. The bridge consists of two spans: a 816 m (2,677 ft) long and 31.4 m (103 ft) wide span across the Dnieper and a 732 m (2,402 ft) long, 29.1 m (95.5 ft) wide span across the Desyonka, a Dnieper tributary.
It is a key structure on the northern end of the Kiev Smaller Beltway, connecting Petrivka
Petrivka
Petrivka may refer to:*Petrivka - the historical neighborhood in Ukrainian capital Kiev, as well as some notable objects located there, including:**Petrivka - Kiev Metro station**Petrivka Railway Station - railway station...
to the densely-populated north-eastern residential neighborhoods. From the moment of its construction the bridge was built as a high-speed motorway, which it remains to this day.
Metro Bridge
Sviatoshynsko-Brovarska Line
The Sviatoshynsko-Brovarska Line , is the first line of the Kiev Metro, dating back to 1960. It includes some of the system's more historically significant stations, like Arsenalna, which at 105.5 meters is the deepest in the world and the next station Dnipro, which although the tunnel follows a...
of Kiev Metro
Kiev Metro
The Kiev Metro is a metro system that is the mainstay of Kiev's public transport. It was the first rapid transit system in Ukraine and the third one built in the USSR . It now has three lines with a total length of 63.7 kilometres and 49 stations...
and automobile traffic. The Metro bridge consists of two spans as it links the central Hidropark
Hidropark
Hydropark is a landscape-recreational park on the Dnieper River in Kiev, Ukraine.It was created as an entertainment complex with mainly water activities: beaches, boating, water attractions. It is located on Venetian and Dolobetsk islands; the Venetian Bridge connects these islands...
island as well as the left and right banks. The larger span consists of an elevated central Metro span and side automobile spans on separate, lower estacades. Both the Metro and automobile paths have a distinct arched contour. This was because the Metro line continues into the hill of the right bank with the Dnipro
Dnipro (Kiev Metro)
Dnipro is a station on the Kiev Metro's Sviatoshynsko-Brovarska Line). Named after the Dnieper River, the station consists of a semi-estacade over the embankment highway, and then continues across the river as part of the Metro Bridge...
station.
The smaller span called Rusanovsky Bridge which links the Hidropark with the left bank is a more conventional level estacade with two northern traffic lanes and a southern Metro path.
Paton Bridge
Welding
Welding is a fabrication or sculptural process that joins materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, by causing coalescence. This is often done by melting the workpieces and adding a filler material to form a pool of molten material that cools to become a strong joint, with pressure sometimes...
steel construction of such length in the world to the date of completion and it was the longest bridge in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
at that time. The bridge was named after Evgeny Paton
Evgeny Paton
Professor Evgeny Oscarovich Paton was a Ukrainian and Soviet engineer who established the E. O. Paton Electric Welding Institute in Kiev. He is father of Borys Paton....
, the famous welding engineer who developed the technology for the structure. He died a few weeks before the construction was completed, never seeing his masterpiece.
Initially carrying the automotive traffic and cross-Dnieper tram
Kiev tram
The Kiev Tramway is a tram network which serves the Ukrainian capital Kiev. The system was the first electric tramway in the former Russian Empire and the third one in Europe after the Berlin Straßenbahn and the Budapest tramway. The system currently consists of 139.9 km of track, including...
lines, the bridge have recently been renovated. The tram rails were removed and the electric trolley bus infrastructure was added to the bridge. Shutting down the tram line that historically served the bridge has met the mixed reception from the Kievans, despite the municipal authorities claimed that the tram service over the bridge has become impractical.
The bridge currently has 3 traffic lanes in both directions and one reversible lane
Reversible lane
A reversible lane , called a counterflow lane or contraflow lane in transport engineering nomenclature, is a lane in which traffic may travel in either direction, depending on certain conditions...
connecting Pechersk to the Left Bank.
Pivdennyi Bridge
The Pivdennyi ("Southern") Bridge (50°23′41"N 30°35′23"E), designed by the architect A. Gavrilov and engineered by G. Fux, was built in 1990. It is the second metroKiev Metro
The Kiev Metro is a metro system that is the mainstay of Kiev's public transport. It was the first rapid transit system in Ukraine and the third one built in the USSR . It now has three lines with a total length of 63.7 kilometres and 49 stations...
bridge in Kiev, serving both the Syretsko-Pecherska metro line
Syretsko-Pecherska Line
The Syretsko-Pecherska Line is third line of the Kiev Metro, first opened in 1989. It extends the metro system southeast along the right bank of the Dnieper River before crossing it on a covered bridge and then east from there. The northern section extends further northwestwards. The line is one...
and automobile traffic. The shroud
Shroud
Shroud usually refers to an item, such as a cloth, that covers or protects some other object. The term is most often used in reference to burial sheets, winding-cloths or winding-sheets, such as the famous Shroud of Turin or Tachrichim that Jews are dressed in for burial...
s holding the spans on the bridge are supported by a two-column ferroconcrete construction 115 m (377 ft) in height.
The bridge currently has 3 traffic lanes in both directions. It connects the Vydubychi
Vydubychi
Vydubychi is a historical neighborhood in Ukrainian capital Kiev. Geographically constituting a hill and a valley on the Right Bank of the Dnieper River, it is now a part of the Pechersk district of the city....
to the rapidly-developing left-bank Darnytsia
Darnytsia
Darnytsia , is a raion of the Ukrainian capital Kiev.It is the southeastern raion of Kiev located on the left bank of Dnieper river. It borders Dnieper to its west with Holosiiv Raion of Kiev is lying across it, Dnipro Raion of Kiev city to its north, and Boryspil Raion of Kiev Oblast to its east...
neighborhood, completing the southern end of the "inner circle" road route.
Havanskyi Bridge
The Havanskyi ("Harbour") Bridge was opened on 17 December 2007 for automotive traffic from PodilPodil
The Podil or Podilskyi Raion is a historic neighbourhood and an administrative raion in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. It is one of the oldest neighborhoods of Kiev, the birthplace of the city's trade, commerce and industry...
towards Obolon
Obolon
Obolon may refer to:* Obolon Raion, a district of Ukraine's capital city, Kiev* Obolon CJSC, the largest Ukrainian brewer* FC Obolon Kyiv, a soccer club based in Kiev* Obolon , a metro station...
across Havan' — the mouth of the former Pochayna River, with the construction being started in 2003, serving as a substitute for the closed Rybalskyi Bridge. On October 23, 2010 the bridge was opened for two-way traffic together with an adjacent flyover on the right bank.
Podilskyi Railroad Bridge
The Podilskyi Railroad Bridge (50°29′01"N 30°32′50"E) is made of steel trussTruss
In architecture and structural engineering, a truss is a structure comprising one or more triangular units constructed with straight members whose ends are connected at joints referred to as nodes. External forces and reactions to those forces are considered to act only at the nodes and result in...
es. It was originally built in 1929 and was known as Petrovskyi Bridge at that time. Like other bridges, it was blown up in the course of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, but was not heavily damaged and was reopened in 1944.
The Podilskyi Railroad Bridge completes the railway circle around Kiev. However, the bridge is limited to minor slow-speed rail traffic due to its age.
Darnytskyi Railroad Bridge
The currently standing Darnitskyi Railroad Bridge (50°24′58"N 30°35′11"E), engineered by I. Barenboym and E. Radzevich, was built in 1949. It took the place of an older bridge, which was destroyed in 1941 in the first days of the German invasion of the Soviet Union (see the earlier history section.)Rybalskyi (Fisherman's) Bridge
A steel bridge connects PodilPodil
The Podil or Podilskyi Raion is a historic neighbourhood and an administrative raion in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. It is one of the oldest neighborhoods of Kiev, the birthplace of the city's trade, commerce and industry...
neighborhood to the Rybalskyi Peninsula
Rybalskyi Peninsula
Rybalskyi Island is a peninsula on the Dnieper River , located in the Right-Bank Podilskyi Raion of the city of Kiev. Although named as an island it is in fact a peninsula and a former spit. It is now a predominantly industrial area.- History :...
over the Kiev Harbour. In the 1990s, the bridge was found unsafe for automobile traffic and since 2001 it was reserved for pedestrian
Pedestrian
A pedestrian is a person traveling on foot, whether walking or running. In some communities, those traveling using roller skates or skateboards are also considered to be pedestrians. In modern times, the term mostly refers to someone walking on a road or footpath, but this was not the case...
s only. The bridge is closed from February 2, 2009 and will be dismantled.
Park Pedestrian Bridge
Trukhaniv Island
Trukhaniv Island is an island located on the Dnieper River opposite the historic Podil neighbourhood of the city of Kiev. It has an area of . The island is mostly covered by greenery, like the Hidropark island nearby. Until 1957, the only method of transportation to the island was by boat in the...
. This is the only bridge constructed specifically for the pedestrian traffic over the Dnieper fairway, and for this reason it's formally included in the number of Kiev bridges across Dnieper.
Rusanivka Bridges
The RusanivkaRusanivka
Rusanivka is a neighborhood surrounded by a canal, the Rusanivs'kyi Kanal, and a tributary from the Dnieper River in the left-bank part of Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. The river and canal make the neighborhood resemble an island. Closer to the river, Rusanivka has a couple small beaches. The...
Bridges were built in the 1960s over the Rusanivka Canal, connecting the neighborhood with the rest of Left Bank city. There are 5 bridges, 2 of them are exclusively pedestrian. Prior to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Rusanivka has been connected to the rest of Kiev by a bridge, but it was destroyed during the war. The Rusanivka bridges are a popular place for amateur fishermen.
Venetian Bridge
The Venetian Bridge, designed by architect A. Ilyashenko and engineered by V. Koval, was built in 1966. The bridge spans the Venetian Canal dividing the HidroparkHidropark
Hydropark is a landscape-recreational park on the Dnieper River in Kiev, Ukraine.It was created as an entertainment complex with mainly water activities: beaches, boating, water attractions. It is located on Venetian and Dolobetsk islands; the Venetian Bridge connects these islands...
Island and the Dolobetskyi Island.
Bridges in construction
Due to a large traffic increase since the late 1990s, more bridges are needed to avoid traffic jams on and around already existing bridges. Specifically, the central rail route from the central railway terminalKiev Passenger Railway Station
Kiev Passenger Railway Station is a complex of Kiev's Central Station and adjoining "Southern Station," plus the adjacent Suburban Station, together serving more than 170,000 passengers per day . "Southern Station" is a misnomer in virtually universal usage in Kiev, referring to an entrance on the...
via the Darnytskyi Bridge is overloaded, limiting the railroad traffic in Eastern Europe.
Two bridges are currently under construction and one more is planned according to the Kiev Development Plan. In addition on the session of Kiev's urban construction council on November 8, 2006, a project was unveiled to provide decorative night illumination to most of the bridges.
Podilskyi Metro Bridge
Podilsko-Voskresenska Line
The Podilsko-Vyhurivska Line formerly the Podilsko-Voskresenska Line will be the fourth addition to Kiev's metro system. Presently under construction, when finished, it will contain 16 stations and be approximately 20 kilometers long. This line will serve as an important relief for existing and...
, and it will carry 3 lanes of auto traffic in both directions. However, the project is complicated by the serious land-owning, environmental and architecture-preserving issues. The construction is contracted by the Kiev municipality.
As of June 2006, the legal issues has not been settled with the private owners of the land over which the bridge is being constructed.
New Darnytskyi Bridge
The construction of the new Darnitskyi automobile/railroad bridge is underway. The bridge is being constructed 50 m (164 ft) north of the existing Darnytsia Railroad Bridge. The 1100 m (3,609 ft)-span will cost an estimated $700 million. The bridge will carry 2 lanes of railroad, and 6 lanes of auto traffic. The bridge's capacity is expected to be 60,000 vehicles and 120 pairs of trains per day. It is ordered by the national railroad companyUkrzaliznytsia
Ukrzaliznytsia , also known as Ukrainian Railways, is the State Administration of Railroad Transportation in Ukraine, monopoly that controls vast majority of the railroad transportation in the country with a combined total length of track of over 23,000 km, which makes Ukrainian railroad...
, but the Kiev authority co-sponsors the project. The main developer of the project is Kyivdiprotrans, and the main constructor is BMK Planete-Mist. Following the construction of the bridge, a new major passenger terminal will be completed in the Darnytsia Railway Station
Darnytsia Railway Station
Ukrzaliznytsia's Darnytsia Railway Station is the largest railroad station of the Ukrainian capital Kiev, located in the Left-bank Darnytsia area....
on the Left Bank of the city.
In July 2006 one third of the bridge was constructed and the first train was initially expected to run through the bridge in the second half of 2007. However, in spring of 2007, cracks were discovered in the bridge's structure, delaying its construction. The bridge opening was then scheduled for March 2008. On May 7, 2010 the bridge was tested with first electrified train traffic. As of then the bridge is expected to be completed in 2012. On September 27, 2010 the railroad part of the bridge was officially opened. According to the Minister of transportation, in December 2010 the bridge will be completed for automotive traffic moving from the left bank westwards, and for two-way traffic in the first quarter of 2011.
Alternatives to bridges
Tunnel projects
A few years before World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
government started a secret tunnel construction project. The construction was started in a fear that in case of a war the bridges over the Dnieper were a vulnerable part of the regional transport infrastructure, and tunnels might be a long-term strategic solution. It was planned to build two railroad tunnels under the Dnieper in Kiev suburbs to the north and to the south of the city. The NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
oversaw the project, drafting hundreds of military, civilian and prison
Gulag
The Gulag was the government agency that administered the main Soviet forced labor camp systems. While the camps housed a wide range of convicts, from petty criminals to political prisoners, large numbers were convicted by simplified procedures, such as NKVD troikas and other instruments of...
workers to work on it. The underdeveloped technology of the time required special makeshift caisson
Caisson (engineering)
In geotechnical engineering, a caisson is a retaining, watertight structure used, for example, to work on the foundations of a bridge pier, for the construction of a concrete dam, or for the repair of ships. These are constructed such that the water can be pumped out, keeping the working...
s (vertical mine
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
s for ventilation and soil extraction) to be built in the middle of the river.
Due to technical failures and the start of the war, the construction was never finished or even disclosed to the public. The builders were able only to connect the Right Bank with the close Zhukiv Island (where the present-day southern port is situated). The flooded entrance to the tunnel and abandoned caissons can now be seen in the forests and bays of Holosiivskyi Raion
Holosiivskyi Raion
Holosiivskyi Raion is an administrative raion of the city of Kiev, the capital of Ukraine.Holosiivskyi Raion was created as part of a change in the administrative divisions of the capital of Ukraine, which was conducted in September 2001, as per the decision of the Kiev City Council on January 1,...
. Amateur researchers believe that a large secret base component of the project, including a train station, barracks and mass graves of workers, are also located in the depths of the tunnels.
Nowadays, the idea of underriver tunnels, which are relied on much advanced metro
Rapid transit
A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...
construction technologies is still on city planner
Urban planning
Urban planning incorporates areas such as economics, design, ecology, sociology, geography, law, political science, and statistics to guide and ensure the orderly development of settlements and communities....
's table. Tunnel projects are included in some of proposed Kiev general development plans as a way to move the main traffic flows in the city center underground. However, most experts agree that such projects are both unaffordable and technically infeasible at this time.
Recently, Kievavtodor and the institutes of Kievdormostproekt and Kievproekt were working out plans for a tunnel system which would connect the left and right banks
Subdivisions of Kiev
Subdivisions of Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, include the formal administrative subdivision into raions and the more detailed informal subdivision into historical neighborhoods.-History of subdivision:...
of Kiev. City authorities welcomed the plan, which would ease the traffice congestion of Kiev's bridges.
Emergency bridges
In case of war/terrorism emergency, the make-shift pontoon bridgePontoon bridge
A pontoon bridge or floating bridge is a bridge that floats on water and in which barge- or boat-like pontoons support the bridge deck and its dynamic loads. While pontoon bridges are usually temporary structures, some are used for long periods of time...
s are to be established in the city. A special Pontoon-Bridge Brigade of the Armed Forces is based on the Left Bank, ready to use its truck-based automatic bridges and docking boats. Such equipment allows automobile and limited railroad connection over the river, and is frequently used in military maneuvers.
External links
- Kiev bridges in Wiki-Encyclopedia Kiev
- stereo.org.ua — Listen to how the Paton Bridge "breathes", a section of the article features audio recordings made under this famous bridge
- Mostobud — Images of the bridges
- 1000years.uazone.net — Kiev bridges
- “Dnieper section of the "Battle Glory's Belt": Zhukiv Island". Kiev research-publishing agency "Book of Memory of Ukraine". Kiev, 2006. (ISBN 5-88500-141-3)
- Tunnels under Dnieper
- Tunnel beneath Dnieper
- Construction of NKPS No.1 - Stalin's metro
- Stalin's tunnels beneath Dnieper: Myths and reality
- Photo
- I Ponti di Kiev (in Italiano)