As part of the "Restoration of Critically Important Logistic Infrastructure and Network Connectivity (RELINC)" project, the State Agency for Infrastructure Reconstruction and Development has received 18 sets of modular bridges from Acrow Corporation of America, USA.
The RELINC project was initiated by Ukraine and the World Bank. The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) in Ukraine is responsible for the procurement and delivery of bridge systems. The total contract value is $23.3 million USD, and the entire batch of 18 sets has already arrived in Ukraine.
The supplier of the modular bridge systems, ACROW Corporation of America, also donated a separate container with equipment for bridge installation, including jacks and expansion joints, to the Agency.
Modular bridges provide the capability to quickly restore transportation links where permanent engineering structures have been destroyed or damaged due to combat actions, as well as facilitate the logistics of goods and cargo.
Ukraine has experience in using modular bridges. Since December 2022, the country has received 6 modular bridges from Sweden, 18 from the Czech Republic, and 10 from Norway. France provided 3 temporary bridges, each designed for a specific task and object. Finland is preparing a package of assistance, which will also include temporary modular bridges. In June 2023, the first modular bridges from American funds arrived in Ukraine: the non-profit Conflict and Development Foundation (CDF) and the Howard Buffett Foundation, which funded the supply of 9 modular bridges to Ukraine.