Ukraine to launch first toll road

Ukraine is preparing to launch its first toll road – a route from Kovel to the Yagodyn-Dorohusk checkpoint on the border with Poland. Not only is the road planned to be modernized, but it will also be expanded to four lanes, which will provide a comfortable connection with Poland, where a motorway is already being built. The exact date of the project’s opening has not yet been determined.

Deputy Minister of Community and Territorial Development of Ukraine Serhiy Derkach spoke about the plans for the road in an interview with the Central Transport Service. According to him, the road is being reconstructed to create a modern transport corridor, which will become a logical continuation of the Polish motorway. Particular attention is being paid to the roads with the highest traffic, since they have the greatest potential to become toll roads.

Derkach emphasized that public-private partnership is important for the implementation of toll roads in Ukraine. “To form an effective financial model, it is necessary to take into account the interest of business and the number of vehicles that will use this road. This allows us to determine whether the project will be profitable for investors,” he explained.

The Kovel-Yagodin road should become a “pilot case” for testing the toll road model. This route has an important railway junction and a further road hub, which makes it key for international transportation and business. Thanks to this, the route can become an example for other potential toll roads in Ukraine.

Before the full-scale invasion, Ukraine was already considering launching toll roads. At that time, it was planned that the fare would range from 80 kopecks to 4.6 UAH per kilometer, depending on the type of vehicle. For example, cars with or without a trailer were to pay 0.023 euros per kilometer, medium-weight trucks and buses - 0.045 euros, and heavy trucks and buses with more than 29 seats - an even higher rate.

In December 2024, the Ministry of Community and Territorial Development began a traffic study on six main highways in Ukraine. Based on the data obtained, it is planned to determine which routes are advisable to transfer to a paid regime, and Kovel - Yagodyn, according to Derkach, will become the first practical case for the implementation of this project.