Why this matters
At the beginning of 2026 the National Committee on Theoretical and Applied Mechanics of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) appealed to Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko, demanding that funding be arranged for a major overhaul of the E.O. Paton Bridge. The reason was the results of a scheduled inspection in 2025, which revealed widespread corrosion of the transverse beams that support the roadway slabs. For Kyiv this is not just an engineering problem: the bridge is one of the key transport corridors across the Dnipro.
What experts say
“I would not want to scare people, but corrosion is relentlessly eating away at this structure. The threat of partial or complete collapse is entirely real.”
— Vyacheslav Bohdanov, First Vice-President of the NAS, Chair of the National Committee on Theoretical and Applied Mechanics
The committee chair explains that whereas corrosion processes used to develop linearly, they are now taking on unpredictable dynamics — an “unpredictable curve” — which complicates forecasting the remaining service life of the structure. According to available data, the bridge is being held largely by four main girders, which are still in a “more-or-less decent condition.”
Background and timeline
- 2017 — the bridge was given emergency status, but a real major overhaul did not begin.
- 2021 — Kyiv included the bridge in the “Great Construction” project; the customer was designated as the Service for Restoration and Development of Infrastructure in the Kyiv region.
- January 2023 — the customer functions were transferred to the municipal corporation “Kyivavtodor,” but work has still not started.
- July 2024 — Igor Kryvtsun, director of the Paton Institute of Electric Welding, told LIGA.net in an interview that the bridge needs to be immediately closed and repaired due to “terrible corrosion.”
- 2025 — the Ukrainian Shymanovsky Institute of Steel Construction recorded destructive processes in the transverse beams, heightening scientists’ alarm.
Consequences and risks
An unexpected acceleration of corrosion increases the risk of partial damage or local collapse with consequences for vehicle traffic, evacuation and the logistics of critically important cargo. For the capital, any prolonged outage of a bridge across the Dnipro would mean additional load on other crossings and risks for emergency response in crisis situations.
What experts propose
The National Committee has already sent a letter to the prime minister demanding that funding be organized for the major overhaul. Some specialists, including representatives of the Institute of Electric Welding, have publicly called for immediate restrictive measures — up to temporary closure — until comprehensive repairs are carried out.
“Repairs to the Metro Bridge have begun, but for some reason the Paton Bridge is not being given proper attention, even though every day of delay threatens fatal consequences.”
— Vyacheslav Bohdanov, First Vice-President of the NAS
Brief conclusion
The problem with the Paton Bridge has ceased to be merely technical: it is a matter of city safety and national infrastructure. Experts are demanding three key steps — prompt funding for the overhaul, prioritization of the work within state recovery programs, and temporary safety measures to reduce risks. The ball is now in the government’s court: declarations must turn into concrete budgets and deadlines.
