Kyiv’s red metro line could be subject to “partial closure” in the worst-case scenario as the derelict state of the bridge serving the line has been neglected for at least two years.
Andriy Vitrenko, head of the Kyiv City Council’s permanent commission on budget issues, said officials were aware of the condition, but the budget was only allocated this year.
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He said specialists are currently inspecting the bridge to determine the next course of action.
“If the examination shows that the metro bridge will need to be closed. Funds have now been allocated for the development of design and estimate documentation, for the creation of relevant search works,” Vitrenko said.
He acknowledged that closing the bridge could have a severe impact during wartime as it is one of the few bridges connecting either side of the capital across the river.
“These are strategic objects for the movement of not only citizens. We have a state of war in our country, which is associated with certain restrictions and the need to provide resources for the activities of the Defense Forces. Therefore, this is a terrible event that can happen at any moment,” he said.
The announcement was made soon after the closure of a tunnel section between the Lybidska and Demiivska stations on the blue metro line in Kyiv, where cracks began forming on the ceiling and led to leakage and flooding that rendered a third of the line inoperative.
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The police have launched an investigation to determine whether there was negligence involved in the tunnel construction and maintenance.
Repair work for the blue line is estimated to take up to six months, but some local residents have expressed doubts about the optimistic estimation.
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