A shortfall of ₴100 million for road repairs in Mykolaiv: «We only carry out repairs where there’s a pothole to fill»

The condition of the road on Tsentralnyi Avenue in Mykolaiv after the snow had melted, February 2026. Photo: ‘NikVesti’

In 2026, around 80 million hryvnias were allocated for road maintenance in Mykolaiv, although the municipal enterprise «ELU Avtodorig» had estimated the requirement at 170 million. Due to a lack of funds, the enterprise focused primarily on patching potholes.

This was revealed by Vitalii Shevchenko, director of the municipal enterprise «ELU Avtodorig», during a broadcast on the «MART» television channel.

According to him, 170 million hryvnias would have allowed the volume of work to be maintained at least at last year’s level.

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«This year’s requirement was approximately 170 million hryvnias to maintain all the city’s roads. We planned to do at least as much as last year. But for 2026, we received approximately 74 million hryvnias — not even half,» said Vitalii Shevchenko.

At the same time, he says, the company’s costs have already risen over the course of the year due to increases in the prices of fuel, bitumen and logistics.

«This year, I believe, this is not just a challenge, but a catastrophic situation. We are currently carrying out patch repairs, but these are only emergency measures. We are not carrying out routine repairs, let alone major ones. We are patching up where there is already a pothole or where a section of road might turn into one tomorrow,» he explained.

Vitalii Shevchenko adds that such repairs are insufficient for some of the damaged roads.

«There are sections that need to be completely resurfaced. Our needs are much greater than last year, because the roads have deteriorated significantly more following this winter,» said the company’s director.

In August, «ELU Avtodorig» received an additional 28 million hryvnias for materials. According to Vitalii Shevchenko, around 5 million of this sum will be allocated to asphalt, with part of the funds going towards the purchase of salt.

«Of these 28 million, approximately five million will go towards asphalt. And that is a very small figure. Last year we laid around 4,500–5,000 tonnes of asphalt, but this year, if we manage to reach 3,200–3,300 tonnes by the end of the year, that will be the maximum,» explained Vitalii Shevchenko.

As a reminder, in Mykolaiv, there are plans to carry out patch repairs on the road between the Regional Palace of Culture and the «Kazka» children’s park. This concerns the stretch from Shipbuilders’ Square towards Panas Saksahanskyi Street.