About the technical condition of the Yevhen Paton Bridge in Kyiv, the results of the latest inspection of the structure, and possible scenarios for its further operation, spoke the General Director of the V.M. Shimanovsky Ukrainian Institute of Steel Construction, Corresponding Member of the NAS of Ukraine Oleksandr Shymanovsky in an interview with the publication "Economic Truth".
The Paton Bridge, built in 1953 under the leadership of academician Yevhen Paton, became the world's first fully welded bridge structure. Its design lifespan was about 100 years. At the same time, the technical condition of the structures began to gradually deteriorate since the 1980s.
As Oleksandr Shymanovsky notes, one of the main reasons for the degradation of the structures was the systematic failure to adhere to maintenance intervals.
"Current and major repairs were not carried out on time. In fact, the bridge was neglected, so the metal structures corroded quickly," explains the scientist.
The V.M. Shimanovsky Ukrainian Institute of Steel Construction, which originally developed the bridge project, regularly monitors its technical condition. Based on the results of instrumental inspection in 2018, the structure was classified as fifth condition – inoperative. The next inspection, conducted in 2025, confirmed this conclusion.
One of the key problems is significant corrosion of the metal elements of the structure, primarily the transverse beams under the expansion joints. Due to these joints, moisture and reagents used to spread on the road surface in winter get onto the metal, accelerating its destruction.
"When I was called there, I literally broke off pieces of these beams with my fingers – the metal was completely eaten away by corrosion," recalls the scientist.
At the same time, the main beams of the bridge remain in relatively better condition, which currently ensures the preservation of the overall load-bearing capacity of the structure.
The traffic load on the bridge has also changed significantly. While the design anticipated about 10,000 vehicles per day, today up to 130,000 vehicles use this crossing daily.
Experts emphasize that the bridge requires comprehensive restoration work. One possible solution is restoration with adaptation to modern conditions, which involves replacing the heavy reinforced concrete slab of the roadway with a lighter orthotropic metal slab. This would reduce the load on the structures and extend the service life of the bridge.
According to Oleksandr Shymanovsky, despite the difficult technical condition, the scenario of sudden complete collapse of the bridge is unlikely.
"This does not mean it will collapse today or tomorrow. It means that something could happen to it at any moment. When exactly – no one can say," the scientist notes.
The Y.O. Paton Bridge is an important engineering and historical object of the capital and one of the symbols of the Ukrainian engineering school of welding, founded by academician Yevhen Paton.
More details – in the material of "Economic Truth".