Bridge over Desna River restored in Chernihiv region

The right side of the bridge over the Desna River has been opened for traffic in the Chernihiv region.

This was reported on Facebook by the Service for Infrastructure Restoration and Development in the Chernihiv region, Ukrinform informs.

"The reconstruction of the right-hand side of the bridge over the Desna River on the Chernihiv bypass has been completed. Today, we have started traffic and are moving on to the left. This is one of the largest bridges in the Chernihiv region. It is almost 600 meters long and has four lanes of traffic," the statement said.

According to the Restoration Service, major repairs of this bridge were planned for 2022, but the war made adjustments. The bridge was blown up during active hostilities in the Chernihiv region in February 2022. 200 meters of the span were completely destroyed.

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After the de-occupation of the region, there was no passage at all. For more than a year, trucks had to detour to Chernihiv on a narrow six-meter-wide road with two lanes. It took twice as long to get from Kyiv to Chernihiv because of the condition of the road and the heavy traffic.

After surveying and demining the area in the summer of 2022, the dismantling of the destroyed bridge structures began, followed by reconstruction. In July 2023, the restoration of the blown-up part of the bridge was fully completed and traffic was allowed to pass through one of the lanes. This was extremely important for establishing normal logistics between Kyiv and Chernihiv, as well as with the communities of the region located on the right bank of the Desna River. Then they began major repairs to the surviving part of the bridge, which had traces of shell hits. Now the bridge builders have completed the work on the right side of the bridge and are moving on to the left side.

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The bridge is expected to be completed in a few months. In 2024, all four lanes will be open for traffic.

As reported, several modular bridges donated by France have been installed in the Chernihiv region.