Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to include information on damage to the bridge’s glass panels.
Summer is all about long, leisurely strolls around the city and enjoying the natural scenery.
And now another place for engaging in this pastime has appeared in Kyiv. On May 26, Mayor Vitali Klitschko presented something his administration has spent about $16 million to create: a new pedestrian bridge with glass-bottomed viewing platforms and bike lanes.
The 212-meter bridge connects the area around the People’s Friendship Arch and the Volodymyr Hill. From a height of 22–32 meters, it offers panoramic views of parks, the Dnipro River, the left bank skyline, and the historic Podil neighborhood.
“I’m sure this is going to be one of the most beautiful and popular locations in the city. I am sure that there hasn’t been any projects like this in Ukraine before,” Klitschko said at the opening ceremony, which took place on Kyiv Day. The construction of the bridge lasted six months.
Klitschko and his brother Volodymyr, also a former boxer, even tested the strength of the glass floor by jumping on it.
Скляну підлогу випробували!😉@Klitschko pic.twitter.com/Rj0PHvA37b
— Віталій Кличко (@Vitaliy_Klychko) May 25, 2019
After the opening, hundreds of people packed the bridge, using almost of the its space.
By the end of the day, however, the bridge had been damaged and was partly closed: the defensive layer of one of the glass panels on the floor of the bridge — which are designed for people to walk on — had cracked.
According to Klitschko, someone might have cracked the glass intentionally. “The main version that is being considered is vandalism,” he said, adding that he was angry with the situation. “It is possible that mechanical damage could occur from the bottom of the bridge. Somebody might have shot at it.”
On Monday, May 27, the protective layer of glass was replaced. The mayor said that the city administration would install additional CCTV cameras underneath the bridge.
But on the same day, one more glass cracked. Reportedly, this happened after “a group of unknown underage individuals started to jump on it.” Klitschko hasn’t publicly reacted to the second incident yet.
