The new bridge will be built on the Ukrainian-Moldovan border near the settlements of Yampil (Ukraine) and Cosăuți (Moldova).
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The relevant Agreement on the construction of the bridge was signed by Oleksandr Kubrakov, Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine and Minister for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development, and Lilia Dabija, Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development of Moldova.
“Today’s [June 12] signing of the Agreement is a practical continuation of the agreements reached in 2021 by the Presidents of Ukraine and Moldova," commented Oleksandr Kubrakov.
"The full-scale invasion has led to adjustments in the implementation of the project, but the urgent need to develop alternative logistics routes makes the Yampil Bridge project indispensable.
"The bridge will become a key link in the transport corridor between Kyiv and Chișinău. It will also provide Ukrainian exporters with the shortest route from the centre of Ukraine to central and south-eastern Europe, bypassing russian-occupied Transnistria.
"I am grateful to my colleague, Lilia Dabija, Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development of Moldova, for the cooperation and joint work on the development of logistics routes on our western borders.â€
The Yampil bridge will provide an alternative to the ferry crossing at the Yampil-Cosăuți border crossing, which has not been in operation for several years and has long failed to meet the requirements of time and the real needs of the residents of both countries.
The bridge will also relieve the congestion at the Mohyliv-Podilskyi – Otaci international border crossing point, which accounts for almost all traffic between Ukraine and Moldova.
The total length of the bridge will be over 1,400 metres. The structure will have 2 lanes with sidewalks on both sides.
The bridge design also takes into account accessibility standards, in particular the construction of sidewalks with a lowered kerb level within the pedestrian crossings. Tactile warning stripes will be provided to guide the visually impaired.
In April of this year, Oleksandr Kubrakov and Lilia Dabija signed the Protocol on amendments to the Agreement between the Governments of Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova on the operation of railway transport.
It provides for the simplification of control procedures for the transit of goods by rail with a point of departure and destination in Ukraine or Moldova.
It was also agreed to introduce non-stop transit through the territory of Ukraine between the Frikatsey-Etulia and Reni-GiurgiuleÅŸti checkpoints, which will help increase the volume of cargo transported by rail.
In addition, in the spring of this year freight transport was launched on the restored Berezyne-Basarabeasca (Moldova) railway line. ■