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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
In Kyiv, it is realistically possible to create backup pontoon crossings over the Dnipro in case of problems with the regular bridges. They cannot fully replace ordinary crossings, but together with earthen dikes they can provide part of the automobile traffic between the capital's banks.
Military expert and founder of the NGO Reactive Mail Pavlo Narozhnyi believes this option is technically feasible. According to him, the main limitations would be the speed of movement and the permissible weight of transported cargo.
On a regular bridge, vehicles can move at a speed of about 50 km/h or more, whereas on a pontoon crossing such a regime is impossible. This will automatically reduce its capacity.
A separate problem will be the movement of heavy trucks. If a heavy vehicle enters the pontoon, passage of other cars will likely have to be temporarily restricted.
Normal bridges, in this sense, have far greater capabilities. They can simultaneously allow entire columns of trucks, while a pontoon structure will require stricter load control.
Another risk is the vulnerability of such crossings to drone attacks. Narozhnyi noted that a pontoon is relatively easy to damage, but at the same time it is simpler and faster to restore compared with a capital bridge.
The question remains whether the Defense Forces have enough long enough structures to span the crossing across the entire Dnipro within Kyiv. According to the expert, if such equipment is lacking, Ukraine can seek help from allies.
Narozhnyi suggested that the necessary pontoon systems exist, for example, in the United States. If needed, they could be purchased or obtained as aid.
Parallel to this, Kyiv is considering building earthen dikes through which vehicles could drive directly onto the pontoon structures. This should simplify organizing a backup connection between the right and left banks.
Ukraine's Minister of Recovery, Infrastructure and Transport, Mykola Kalashnyk, stated that soon the capital could begin building several such backup dikes with pontoon crossings. In his assessment, they could compensate for at least half of the daily capacity of ordinary bridges.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Київ може отримати понтонні переправи через Дніпро: скільки транспорту вони пропустять". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: Expert.
