The road surface will also be completed on Bazhana Avenue — the main highway leading from Boryspil Airport.
"TURBINA". The capital's first three-level ring-type interchange near the Paton Bridge, nicknamed "turbina" due to its shape, is already essentially operational. Motorists are hardly bothered by workers who are tidying up the adjacent area. However, as we saw yesterday when visiting the site, a newcomer will find it difficult to navigate the intricate traffic patterns, and city guests will have to wander around. Authorities promise that navigation won't be an issue — enough signs will be installed, given the interchange's importance. Kyiv drivers who have already tested the new junction advise carefully studying the scheme before a trip and being prepared for dense traffic where overtaking is impossible. "In my opinion, the exits and entrances to Naberezhna are too narrow. For example, when exiting Naberezhne Shose onto Druzhby Narodiv Boulevard, even on a weekend when traffic flow is noticeably lighter, a congestion forms. And on weekdays, a traffic jam is guaranteed," shared driver Andriy Kolyuzhny.
Despite the day off, at least a hundred people and a dozen pieces of equipment — excavators, bulldozers, tractors — were working at the site yesterday. Specialists were lining tunnels with stone, planting flowers in flowerbeds, leveling soil for lawns, and installing lighting fixtures. Work is also actively underway in the underground passage near the interchange. Yesterday it was dusty and dirty there; pedestrians had to navigate between piles of sand and stretched barrier tapes. It seems that in the remaining two days, the crews might not meet the deadline. However, officials assure they will make it. "We will finish all work near the Paton Bridge by May 9. The roadway is already fully ready. So we are on schedule. Now we are only doing landscaping — planting flowerbeds, polishing up. However, the exact date of the grand opening has not yet been determined," said Heorhiy Hlynsky, General Director of Kyivavtodor Corporation.
Recall that the total cost of the interchange, designed to relieve the embankment from congestion, is estimated by authorities at UAH 287 million. Bridges were built over Naberezhne and Naddniprianske Shose, and tunnels were laid in the embankments under the Paton Bridge and Druzhby Narodiv Boulevard. All this was combined into a ring, inside which so-called "turbines" for left turns were constructed.
BAZHANA. Another large-scale reconstruction is nearing its finale. On Bazhana Avenue, where quality pavement, modern lights, and bike lanes are promised, they plan to complete all main passages by May 9. "On all sections, the top layer of asphalt will already be laid: from the Pivdennyi (Southern) Bridge to Kharkivske Shose — completely. But there will still be work on overpasses, underground pedestrian crossings, bike path installation, lighting, and, of course, landscaping. We plan to fully complete everything by May 20, that is, by Kyiv Day we will open the renovated avenue 100%," notes Hlynsky. Additionally, this month Kyivavtodor intends to finish repairs on Horkoho Street, and by Euro-2012, hand over the renovated section of the Kyiv—Hostomel road — from the checkpoint to the region's border.
