Ukraine Rebuilds 628-Meter Bridge Destroyed by Russian Airstrikes Using Last Batch of Azovstal Steel

A new 628-meter bridge across the Desna river in Chernihiv has been completed, Maksym Shkil, the owner of the construction company “Avtostrada,” announced on October 14.

This bridge replaces the original one that was destroyed by Russian airstrikes in the early days of the Russian full-scale invasion.

The original bridge, located at the city’s entrance, was bombed by Russian forces on March 23, 2022, destroying two 80-meter metal spans. While temporary repairs were made to the old bridge, work on a larger, modern replacement began soon after.

The new bridge spans 628 meters and features two lanes in each direction with the longest span without supports being 106 meters long.

The bridge was constructed using steel beams from the last pre-war batch produced by Mariupol’s Azovstal plant.

The bridge is equipped with a monitoring system that controls the condition of structural elements in a real time, a weather station that records and displays road surface temperature, traffic accident notifications and traffic restrictions.

Shkil added that the bridge lifespan will exceed 100 years.

This infrastructure project is considered one of the largest in Ukraine since the start of the war.