Road Construction in Ukraine Is Gradually Resuming

● On June 3, 2026, a new transport artery was opened in the Rivne region – the Northern Bypass of Rivne, which will improve connectivity between Ukraine’s regions, provide faster access to the international transport corridor M-06 Kyiv–Chop, and facilitate connections to the Yahodyn, Ustyluh, and Uhryniv border crossing points on the Ukrainian-Polish border.

This is one of the largest road infrastructure projects of recent years, with a total length of 14.5 km. The total project cost amounts to nearly UAH 2 billion.

● According to the press service of Avtomagistral-Pivden LLC, construction of the second phase of the N-31 Dnipro–Tsarychanka–Kobeliaky–Reshetylivka highway has resumed in the Dnipropetrovsk region. The project, valued at UAH 10.6 billion, had effectively been frozen since the start of the full-scale war. In 2026, UAH 7.37 billion has been allocated for completing the route.

In 2022, traffic was opened on the first section of the newly built N-31 highway within the Dnipropetrovsk region. This Category I road was constructed in accordance with modern international standards; however, completion of only the first phase was insufficient to fully address the region’s transportation challenges.

The current works involve a 30-kilometre section extending from the Dnipro–Donbas Canal to the administrative border with the Poltava region. Due to the suspension of construction, traffic has continued to use the old narrow road that passes through populated areas and remains in poor technical condition.

According to Avtomagistral-Pivden, heavy freight traffic is accelerating pavement deterioration and creating additional risks and inconvenience for local residents. The old road has long required major rehabilitation. Given the high degree of completion of the project, the company believes that traffic on the second phase of the highway may be partially opened by the end of this year, although certain restrictions may apply.

The project includes, among other works, the construction of two base layers using slag aggregate, a base layer of crushed stone-sand mixture, a cement-stabilized crushed stone-sand base layer, and the installation of a three-layer asphalt concrete pavement structure.

Nearly 500,000 tonnes of slag produced by metallurgical enterprises in the Dnipropetrovsk region are planned to be used in the pavement construction, enabling the efficient utilization of local industrial resources.

The most challenging engineering component of the project will be the construction of an almost 600-metre-long viaduct across a winding section of the Oril River within a protected natural area. This structure is considered one of the largest and most technically demanding elements of the entire highway project.

● In the Zhytomyr region, large-scale construction has resumed on a strategic bypass road around the city of Zhytomyr along the M-06 Kyiv–Chop highway. Transit traffic will be redirected to the new Northern Bypass in order to reduce congestion within the city.

The contractor is the Turkish company Onur.

A total of 22 kilometres of new roadway is planned. As part of the first phase, a new bridge is being constructed over the Kamianka River.

The project has been divided into three stages. The estimated costs are: stage 1 – UAH 313 million; stage 2 – UAH 548 million; stage 3 – UAH 1.42 billion.

The project was originally launched in 2017 with the participation of the Chinese company Sinohydro Corporation. Financing was provided through loans from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Investment Bank (EIB). However, in 2020, the contract with the Chinese contractor was terminated due to concerns regarding the quality of the completed works and materials used, after which construction was suspended.

Photo source: freepik.com