A contractor is being sought in Mykolaiv to build a bypass road and a bridge across the Southern Bug River at a cost of ₴4.2 billion

Lorries on a road in the Mykolaiv region, archive photo by NikVesti

The Infrastructure Restoration and Development Service is seeking a contractor for the reconstruction of the M-14 «Odesa — Melitopol — Novoazovsk» motorway, which connects the Odesa and Mykolaiv regions. The works are estimated at 4.2 billion hryvnias.

This involves the construction of a bypass road with a bridge near Mykolaiv, NikVesti reports, citing the relevant tender on the Prozorro public procurement platform.

According to the technical specifications, this involves a large-scale reconstruction of a 16-kilometre section of the route. The project entails a comprehensive reconstruction: from the removal of the old surface and the relocation of utility networks to the construction of new road infrastructure.

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In addition to road works, the project involves the virtual complete reconstruction of three bridges, for which the existing structures are to be dismantled and new piers and spans constructed.

Plans also include the construction of overhead pedestrian crossings, drainage structures, bus stops and pavements, as well as the installation of new lighting, road signs, fencing and noise barriers.

The contractor will be required to complete this work within three years — by 20 December 2028.

As is known, the development of the junction near Mykolaiv is the first stage of the construction of the Mykolaiv bypass. In fact, three new flyovers will be built here.

There are four such stages in total:

• Construction of a junction on the M-14 motorway (km 121+360);
• Reconstruction of the M-14 motorway on the section between km 110+000 and km 126+000;
• Construction of a bridge over the Southern Bug;
• Construction of an interchange on the M-14 motorway (km 142+800).

This project was developed in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). This is important in order to relieve traffic congestion on Mykolaiv’s roads and to repair the Varvarivskyi and Inhulskyi bridges, the State Agency for Reconstruction clarified. The journey time via the Mykolaiv bypass will be just 8 minutes, whereas currently the journey through the city takes 1 hour.

And what is known about the «Japanese» bridge?

Plans to build a new bridge in Mykolaiv have been discussed for many years. Japanese investors took an interest in the construction of a bridge across the Southern Bug in 2013. The total cost of construction at that time was estimated at 3.5 billion hryvnias. The Japanese ambassador even visited Mykolaiv, confirming the importance of building the bridge. However, the Japanese investors decided to fund the reconstruction of the sewerage networks in the village of Bortnychi near Kyiv, rather than the construction of the bridge in Mykolaiv.

In 2018, negotiations regarding the construction of the bridge were resumed. In July of that year, Mykolaiv Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych announced that construction of the so-called ‘Japanese’ bridge in Mykolaiv could begin in 2022 and be completed in four years. A year later, representatives of the Japanese company JICA even submitted the results of a study as part of the preparatory work for the project to build a bridge across the Southern Bug.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also took an interest in the construction of the Japanese bridge in Mykolaiv. In October 2019, he discussed the prospects for building the bridge in Mykolaiv with JICA President Shinichi Kitaoka.

In February 2021, the head of the Regional State Administration, Vitalii Kim, stated that construction of the «Japanese» bridge could begin in December 2021. In August of the same year, Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych announced the imminent completion of the bureaucratic processes related to the construction of the «Japanese» bridge in Mykolaiv. He said that all issues would be resolved ‘within the next month’.

Vladyslav Chaika, a member of the Mykolaiv City Council, reported that according to the updated feasibility study developed by the Japanese side, the bridge would be built outside the city limits – in the Matviivka and Slyvyne districts. According to him, if the firm «Interproekt» fails to prepare the design by the end of 2021, the Japanese side will withdraw from the project.