The Cosăuți–Yampil Bridge is an international road bridge across the Dniester River under construction on the Moldova–Ukraine border. The crossing is expected to connect Cosăuți, Moldova and Yampil, Ukraine. The bridge is to replace the existing derelict Cosăuți–Yampil ferry crossing, which ceased operating regularly in 2021 due to safety and technical concerns. The State Agency of Automobile Roads of Ukraine announced the results of a tender for construction in 2021, with the Ukrainian infrastructure development company Autostrada contracted to oversee the project.

History

The primary border crossing between Cosăuți, Moldova and Yampil, Ukraine has previously been served by a Soviet era ferry, crossing the Dniester River. The ferry is limited to operating in daylight with calm weather, and is often put out of service to technical issues. In 2021, the ferry crossing was closed, citing critical safety and technical concerns.

Alternatives to the ferry at Cosăuți are another ferry crossing in similarly poor condition at Soroca, or the limited capacity road and rail crossings some distance away in Mohyliv-Podil's'kyi.

Construction In June 2023, Ukraine and Moldova signed an intergovernmental agreement on the construction of the bridge. The agreement was signed by Ukrainian Minister of Infrastructure Oleksandr Kubrakov and Moldovan secretary general of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Development Lilia Dabija. The agreement further developed the earlier agreement in 2021, specifying the construction of a 1,400 m bridge with two lanes and pavements. The Government of Ukraine would finance the design and construction of the bridge itself, as well as the border checkpoint on the Ukrainian side. Moldova would build a series of access roads and a checkpoint on its side. Construction was initially targeted for completion in 2025.

Temporary Bridge In July 2026, construction of the temporary bridge continued, with Autostrada reporting that 96 m of the 276 m long structure had been built. By late August, the bridge had grown to 120 m with 11 out of 24 columns in place, reaching the thalweg of the Dniester. It was reported that work on a 3 km access road on the Ukrainian side was underway.

In mid September 2026, Autostrada suspended construction work on all its projects, including the Cosăuți–Yampil Bridge, due to an abrupt halt in funding from the Ukrainian government. The halt was confirmed by Autostrada founder Maxim Shkil, in a Facebook post on 17 September. Previously in May–June 2026, the company had threatened to halt construction and repair work, stating that the state debt owed to Autostrada exceeded 6 billion UAH. The halt in work followed reports from the Ukrainian Minister of Finance Serhiy Marchenko, stating that the state had been forced to limit government spending due to delays in international financial aid. On 17 September 2026, Chairman of the Budget Committee of the Verkhovna Rada, Roksolana Pidlasa confirmed that capital expenditure scheduled for the fall period would be postponed until at least December 2026.

See also

List of international bridges

References