Paton Bridge, Road bridge across Dnieper River in Kyiv, Ukraine
The Paton Bridge stretches 1543 meters across the Dnieper River, linking Sobornyi Avenue on the left bank to Druzhby Narodiv Boulevard on the right bank. Made of steel and measuring 21 meters wide, it carries six traffic lanes and features three-meter pedestrian walkways on each side.
Construction started in 1939 and halted in September 1941. German forces, using Hungarian sapper units, built a temporary wooden bridge on the unfinished supports in 1942, named after Field Marshal Walter von Reichenau; it was destroyed during their retreat in 1943. Work resumed in the late 1940s and the bridge opened on 5 November 1953.
The bridge is named after academician Yevhen Oskarovych Paton, who took direct part in its design and construction and whose Institute of Electric Welding of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR was one of the builders. From 1 November 1954 to 9 June 2004 a tram line ran across the deck; its removal split the Kyiv tram network into separate left-bank and right-bank systems and prompted protests and petition drives.
Since 2020 the outer lanes are closed and vehicles over 6 tonnes per axle are barred, so traffic runs on the remaining lanes. Pedestrian walkways of 3 m run along both sides. The right-bank entrance is marked by Doric propylaea, the left-bank by two 20 m columns.
This structure was the first fully welded bridge in the world, built from 264 identical blocks joined through 10,668 meters of welded seams. The technique allowed faster assembly and a lighter structure than traditional riveted connections.
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