Podilskyi Bridge

The bridge is located midway between the existing road Petrovskyi Railroad Bridge and the Parkovyi Pedestrian Bridge. The first entrance is planned to begin with intersection at Mezhyhirska and Naberezhno-Luhova Street, the second one from the right bank's Verkhnii Val and Naberezhno-Khreshchatytska Street (current location of the closed Rybalskyi Bridge, that is planned to be dismantled). The third entrence is at Rybalskyi Peninsula from Naberezhno-Rybalska Street. At the left bank the bridge will be connected to Suleimana Stalskoho Street that leads to Perova Boulevard.

The bridge is intended to connect Podil on the right bank with Voskresenka and Raiduzhnyi Masyv on the left bank. Starting in Podil the bridge will cross the Rybalskyi Peninsula, the Dnipro River, Trukhaniv Island, and the Rusanivski Sady dacha community, terminating on the left bank.

The bridge is actually a combination of several bridges, ramps, and other types of viaducts with a total length of 7.5 km (4.7 mi).[6] It consists of several major components:

• three bridges over Kyiv Harbor
• a bridge over Dnipro (main part)
• a bridge over Chortoryi
• a bridge over Raiduzhne Lake
• viaducts over Trukhaniv Island and Horbachykha
• four multi-level road interchanges

The bridge roadway is intended to have three lanes each way with a projected traffic intensity of 59,000 vehicles per day. The bridge will also carry the Podilsko–Vyhurivska line containing three metro stations on the bridge.[7]

A bridge from Podil to Voskresenka had been planned since the Soviet era and appeared in the Kyiv master plan for 1985–2005. The first construction project was accepted in 1993 and the construction began in that year with a plan of finishing in 2001, however it was soon suspended due to the difficult financial situation.[6]

Early phase of construction, 2008

After some years of being abandoned, the bridge reappeared in the Kyiv master plan for 2005–2020. December 28, 2003, marked the renewal of land preparation at Trukhaniv Island,[5] and the new project was accepted in 2004. This year also marked the connection of the bridge with the left bank. At the start of construction, the bridge was planned to be opened in 2007, but inadequate funding meant that the completion date was postponed to 2008. In 2007, the construction was expanded to Rybalskyi Peninsula, connecting it to the right bank. To start the construction, part of the shipbuilding plant had to be demolished. In addition, residents of nearby dormitories had to be resettled; resettling was also planned a number of private houses at Rusanivski Gardens on the left bank. Meanwhile, the planned opening was once again postponed, this time to 2010.

In 2009, the assembly of an arch on the bridge from Rybalskyi to Trukhaniv started, alongside it the piers for a bridge from Podil were built. On the Rybalskyi Peninsula, the construction of the exit to the Naberezhno-Rybalska Road also began. There was a plan to build a skyscraper on it, but later it was scrapped. The planned opening of the bridge was moved back to 2011.

Bridge's construction in 2010

From 2010 the majority of the work was carried out on the right bank, while on the left bank there was the problem of resettling Rusanivski Gardens. Due to this the completion of construction was delayed yet again, this time to 2014, and then to 2016. In February it was decided to buy and demolish the private houses that were blocking the construction process and resettle the owners to Bykivnya. Despite the resistance of the residents, the destruction began in October. In December 2011, legal issues with the private owners of the land were settled, and the construction process was finally expanded to Trukhaniv Island. In June 2012, the Kyiv River Harbor administration building was demolished due to the plan to build an entrance to the bridge from the Naberezhno-Khreshchatytska Street.

The work on an arch was planned to be finished in October 2012, but lack of funding caused the construction to slow down, so even in 2013, there was almost no progress. At the end of the year Swedish company, Eurocon joined Mostobud in the project to accelerate the construction. In February 2014 despite the ongoing Revolution of Dignity the process of arch's segment lifting had begun, it was finished by the 4th March in a strong fog. 19 June the final segment of the arch was installed. After that, the construction was put on hold since there was not enough money to continue the construction.

The bridge with a completed arch stands on temporary piers, 2014

Since the Autumn of 2016, it was planned to finish the construction in 2019 with investment from Germany. In December it was decided to change the temporary piers to full-time ones. In April 2017 two contests for finishing the bridge was held, one for a section from Podil to Rusanivski Gardens and one for a part from Rusanivski Gardens to Voskresenka. Both contests were won by EcoBudTrade.[6] By results of technical inspection, held by German experts, the bridge was 50% ready.[8] In August bridge construction was renewed. In 2018, construction accelerated,[5] in July the arch connections began to be assembled, the first one was installed in August. During the inspection in October Mayor of Kyiv Vitali Klitschko stated that the bridge would be opened by the end of 2020.

In November 2018, the dormitory at Rybalskyi Peninsula that was in the way of future bridge was demolished. In January 2019, the construction at Rusanivski Gardens began, where the bridge had to reach the railway. In March, the last arch connection was installed. In April, the preparation for Nyzhnii Val Street entrance construction had begun. On April 29, the old Rybalskyi Bridge was closed for dismantling. In August, dismantling of the temporary piers had begun. In September, the preparation work for the entrance from Naberezhno-Khreshchatytska Street was renewed.

On 1 February 2021, Klitschko stated that the bridge would be opened by the summer of 2021.[7] Also in February 2021, Head of the Kyiv Urban Planning Council Vitali Selyk predicted that it would be possible to build the automobile part of the bridge no earlier than the end of the year, provided that the pace of construction would be comparable to that of the six months before the 2020 Kyiv local election, and if work began immediately.[9] In May 2023 Mayor Klitschko assured that the first part of the bridge will be opened in 2023.[10]

Accident with the crane Zakhariy

On November 18, 2011, a crane vessel Zakhariy that was being used in the construction fell into the river and broke apart. The accident destroyed the crane and polluted the Dnieper's waters with crane oil and construction materials. During the accident, two other barges were damaged; the Harbor Bridge received light damage.

There were several accidents involving people falling off the bridge while exploring the incomplete construction work when construction was abandoned in 2014–2017.

On 14 September 2016, part of the bridge at Rybalskyi Peninsula caught fire due to a short circuit.[13]

In 2017, French rapper Orelsan produced a video-clip on this bridge for his song "Basique".[14]

Some scenes from the Diesel brand "Go with the Flow" campaign were filmed on this bridge.[15]

In 2019, Chinese boy band WayV released a music video for the song "Take Off" among the locations in the video, you can see this Bridge.[16]

The music video for Rosalía's "Saoko", which premiered in 2022, was mainly filmed on this bridge.[17]

Bridge arch profile

View on bridge model across Desenka river

Handrail and car barrier design

• 
  Construction information board at Trukhaniv Island in 2009
• 
  Construction site as of 2009, pictured from the Rybalskyi Peninsula
• 
  Panorama view of the bridge in 2012, pictured from the People's Friendship Arch
• 
  The bridge in 2015
• 
  The bridge in October 2019
• 
  Pontoon near the bridge in 2019
• 
  The bridge in October 2021

• Bridges in Kyiv
• Kyiv River Port

Podilsky Bridges Transfer in Kyiv, Ukraine // Architect Magazine : The Journal of the American Institute of Architects. 2021. December 07. (англ.) [Архівовано з першоджерела 16 липня 2023.]

• Media related to Podilskyi Bridge at Wikimedia Commons