Traffic and Metro Halted on Key Kyiv Bridge After Russian Strikes, Causing Gridlock

Kyiv authorities have halted car and metro traffic across the Pivdennyi (Southern) Bridge following multiple Russian strikes over October 1 and 2, including another targeted drone attack on Friday evening, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko.

The decision closes one of the capital's main logistical arteries around the clock, regardless of air raid alerts.

The shutdown follows a wave of Russian strikes on the bridge, including an initial strike on Thursday that hit near one of its supports while a metro train was crossing.

Repeated strikes through Friday evening forced safety inspectors to keep the route fully closed to assess structural integrity and prevent potential hazards.

The closure has severely strained transit across the capital, which is geographically split in two by the Dnipro River. Massive, kilometers-long gridlock quickly accumulated along key arterial roads leading to alternative river crossings, where strict capacity restrictions remain in effect.

Facing gridlock on public transport and surface roads, many residents have resorted to crossing the river bridges on foot to reach the opposite bank.

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War in Ukraine

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Speaking on air during a broadcast on Novyny.LIVE, Volodymyr Kreidenko, a member of the parliamentary committee on transport and infrastructure, noted that authorities are actively evaluating emergency response options to ease the logistical strain.

Lawmakers and city officials are exploring temporary measures, including ferry services, pontoon bridges, additional bus routes, reversible travel lanes, and alternating hour-based driving schedules to regulate traffic flow across the remaining operational bridges.

Russia increased the intensity of its jet-powered drone attacks on Ukraine more than eightfold over the summer, launching around 2,800 such drones in August compared with roughly 350 in June.

Air defense experts noted that the increased speed of systems like the latest Geran and Banderol models reduced the reaction window for mobile fire teams from one minute down to six seconds.

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