Ukrainian construction company Autostrada has extended building work on a temporary bridge across the Dniester River into Moldovan territory.
The 276-metre technological bridge will connect Yampil in Ukraine's Vinnytsia region with Cosauti in Moldova, establishing a new cross-border transit route.
Autostrada reported that work has begun in the Moldovan section of the riverbed, with crews working 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Traffic across the crossing is scheduled to open by the end of 2026.
As of 27 August, construction workers had completed 120 metres of the 276-metre structure and mounted 11 of its 24 planned metal support pillars. Each pillar consists of eight steel pipes and three icebreakers designed to protect the bridge during winter river freezes.
The temporary structure stands approximately 11 metres above the water level of the Dniester River. Its span is constructed from metal beams and reinforced concrete slabs featuring a specially notched surface to improve tire grip for vehicles.
Access Roads and Border Links
Alongside the river crossing, Autostrada road crews are constructing about three kilometres of access road on the Ukrainian side of the river. Work is also set to begin shortly on an exit ramp and connecting road network on the Moldovan side.
The bridge provides a direct transport link between Ukraine's Vinnytsia region and the Moldovan city of Soroca. Soroca is located on the bank of the Dniester River in northern Moldova, opposite the border from Vinnytsia Oblast in southwestern Ukraine.
Beyond serving as an immediate crossing, the temporary bridge is required to restart construction on a permanent 1,309-metre international bridge over the Dniester. The temporary structure will allow heavy equipment, building materials, and construction crews to access the primary construction site.
Autostrada launched the initial construction of the main 1,309-metre bridge in 2021. Work on the major crossing was halted following the outbreak of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Once the main international bridge is fully built, workers will dismantle the temporary structure. Its components will then be salvaged and reused for future infrastructure projects elsewhere.
Funding and Bilateral Agreements
The governments of Ukraine and Moldova signed an official intergovernmental agreement to build the permanent automotive bridge across the Dniester on 12 June 2023.
The main bridge project carries an estimated total cost of 3.4 billion Ukrainian hryvnias. In October 2025, Paun Rohovei, Ukraine's ambassador to Moldova, referred to the Yampil-Cosauti bridge as a grandiose and very expensive project, noting that work had continued despite financial difficulties.
To fund the temporary technological bridge, the Ukrainian government allocated 383.8 million Ukrainian hryvnias from the state budget reserve fund in 2026.
The Dniester River flows through Ukraine and Moldova before reaching the Black Sea, forming a major natural boundary between the two nations. Moldovan border routes serve as critical transport channels for Ukrainian goods and passenger traffic.
