From Monday, November 9, Kyiv is introducing backup traffic patterns between the left and right banks of the Dnipro River. On the Paton Bridge, a reversible lane will operate during rush hours, and trucks on the approaches to the Northern and Southern bridges will be directed to other crossings.
The changes were announced by Interior Minister Ivan Vyhovsky. In a message published by the official MIA channel on November 8, the decision is explained by additional security threats and the need to relieve congestion on the bridges.
On the Paton Bridge, from 07:00 to 10:00, three of the five lanes will operate in the direction of the right bank. In the evening, from 16:00 to 20:00, three lanes will be allocated for traffic towards the left bank. Thus, the direction of traffic on some lanes will change depending on the time of day.
On the approaches to the Northern Bridge, patrol officers will direct freight transport on a detour via the Podilsky Bridge crossing.
On the Northern Bridge itself, from the left bank to the right bank, public transport is allowed. In the opposite direction — from the right bank to the left — public transport and passenger cars will be able to travel. The passage of passenger cars from the left bank to the right bank is not provided for in the announced scheme.
The partial resumption of traffic on the Northern Bridge was announced by Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko on November 8 after a technical inspection of the structure. According to his announced scheme, one lane is allocated towards the right bank exclusively for passenger transport, and two lanes towards the left bank for passenger transport and passenger cars.
On the Southern Bridge, trucks traveling from the left bank to the right bank will be directed via the Darnytskyi Bridge. For passenger cars and public transport, no new restrictions are being introduced under the announced scheme, specifies the MIA.
Detailed traffic patterns should be published on the patrol police pages. In the MIA message, the reversible schedule on the Paton Bridge is indicated only for the morning and evening intervals. When choosing a lane, temporary signs, traffic light signals, and traffic controllers' directions must be taken into account.
The MIA also reported that the number of police crews has already been increased for traffic management, bridge relief, and driver assistance. Law enforcement officers will examine the approaches to crossings and the most congested sections of roads.
Sources: Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, Vitaliy Klitschko.
