Paton Bridge () is one of the bridges across the

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named after its constructor Evgeny Paton.Borys Paton, patriarch of Ukrainian science, dies at 101

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(19 August 2020) Built between 1941 and 1953, it is one of the world's first all-welded bridge and is also the longest bridge in Kyiv having a length of . Traffic across the bridge was opened on 5 November 1953. The bridge also acts as a segment of the .

Construction

Engineer Evgeny Paton played a direct role in the design and construction of the bridge. Originally he came up with a revolutionary, even on a global scale, innovative idea of all-welding the structure instead of using the traditional riveted design. The first such road bridge in the world, the

Maurzyce Bridge The Maurzyce Bridge (Polish: ''Most w Maurzycach'') is a bridge over the Słudwia River (tributary of Bzura) in Central Poland. It is known as the first entirely welded road bridge and the second welded bridge of any category in the world. The ...

, had been opened only in 1928 and since then the idea was a relative novelty in

civil engineering Civil engineering is a regulation and licensure in engineering, professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads ...

, with only a couple dozen constructions finished before the outbreak of World War II. Paton urged the designers that such an approach will greatly improve the reliability of the structure, but initially, his idea did not find any support amongst the professionals. Eventually, his idea of all-welding did receive support, as he was given the go-ahead to start building the bridge by the head of the Ukrainian Communist Party,

Nikita Khrushchev Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (– 11 September 1971) was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and the Premier of the Soviet Union, Chai ...

, who personally oversaw the entire operation. The construction of the first span began in early June 1941 but was interrupted by the

Great Patriotic War The Eastern Front, also known as the Great Patriotic War (term), Great Patriotic War in the Soviet Union and its successor states, and the German–Soviet War in modern Germany and Ukraine, was a Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II ...

. After the reconquering of

by the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

on 6 November 1943, construction of the bridge was forced to begin practically from scratch as the retreating German troops blew up all of the existing parts of the incomplete bridge. However, the construction of the bridge was completed just in time for the 10th anniversary of the liberation of

and was officially opened on 5 November 1953. Upon the completion, the bridge was composed of 264 identical blocks which are in length each, held together by welded seams totalling . The total weight of the entire structure is estimated to be over . The installation of the streetcar tracks on the bridge also enabled the passengers to commute between the

Left Bank In geography, a bank is the land alongside a body of water. Different structures are referred to as ''banks'' in different fields of geography. In limnology (the study of inland waters), a stream bank or river bank is the terrain alongsid ...

and

Right Bank In geography, a bank is the land alongside a body of water. Different structures are referred to as ''banks'' in different fields of geography. In limnology (the study of inland waters), a stream bank or river bank is the terrain alongsid ...

s of

tram A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...

, taking pressure off the buses.

History

Since the successful opening in 1953, the bridge did not see any major additions or changes until 1968. Sometime during that year, two guardrails were installed separating both pedestrian and automobile traffic. This particular approach was never before used in the entire

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

at the time. In 1976, a strength test was conducted to see how much pressure the bridge can withstand. Originally, the bridge was designed to handle 10,000 vehicles per day. However, the results of the test revealed that the bridge can withstand an estimated 70,000 vehicles per day. In 1995, the bridge was recognized by the

American Welding Society The American Welding Society (AWS) was founded in 1919 as a non-profit organization to advance the science, technology and application of welding and allied joining and cutting processes, including brazing, soldering and thermal spraying. Headq ...

as the most unique all-welded structure. In 2004 the bridge has undergone a major overhaul. In its anticipation, on 9 June of that year, the streetcar traffic on the bridge ceased to exist as the streetcar tracks were removed in favor of adding additional lanes to help ease the jams that were crippling the bridge and its vicinity during the rush hours. The bridge was divided into seven lanes. Three lanes would be used for both directions, plus one

reversible lane A reversible lane, also known as variable lane, dynamic lane, and tidal flow, is a managed lane in which traffic may travel in either direction, depending on certain conditions. Typically, it is meant to improve traffic flow during rush hours, b ...

in the middle. The addition of the

has also led to an increase in traffic accidents, especially head-on collisions. Starting on 1 February 2008, based on the initiative of the Department of Traffic Services, the bridge was equipped with additional lighting. In the summer of 2009 and 2010, the bridge has undergone through some major repairs.

Future Improvements

According to the experts, the bridge's current state does not reflect modern design requirements and is in need of a major overhaul including the spans, waterproofing, welded seams, lighting poles, guardrails and the foundation itself as well. The expansion to four lanes in each direction at an expense of the

will also increase the average daily traffic by almost 60%. In addition, the concept of using a concrete divider, similar to the Ontario Tall Wall, as used on the Northern Bridge since 2007, would greatly reduce traffic accidents, especially head-on collisions. As of November 2010, this next major overhaul is estimated to cost the city an estimated ₴714,000,000. The reconstruction is scheduled to begin in 2011 and is estimated to last up to 27 months.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Road bridges in Kyiv Bridges built in the Soviet Union Bridges completed in 1953 Bridges over the Dnieper European route E95 1953 establishments in Ukraine

Construction

History

Future Improvements

See also

References

External links