Transportation officials say the Middle Bridge over Blue Mesa Reservoir could open to limited traffic as soon as the 4th of July weekend.
The bridge was closed after cracks were found in April and the closure of this portion of U.S. 50 has resulted in hours-long detours for people in the region.
In a public meeting on Tuesday, May 21, Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) Director Shoshana Lew said the plan would allow for limited one-way traffic on the bridge, with full repairs anticipated to be completed by the end of October.
“If everything goes right, and there's a lot that has to go right, particularly with the climate, that makes it possible to schedule and streamline the work to be the first priority for repairs,” Lew said.
The bridge was closed on April 18, 2024, after a routine inspection by CDOT found cracks in the steel.
Steel deliveries for the bridge repairs are underway to fix four main critical locations with crews scheduled to work around the clock to reopen the bridge.
“We expect the first plates to hit here in Gunnison at the Blue Mesa by June 10th. And then at that time, we'll have two shifts: three crews per shift, operating 10 to 12 hours per shift, 20 to 24 hours per day until we open the bridge on July 4th,” said Jason Proskovec, a project manager with Kiewit Infrastructure Company for Colorado.
Region 3 Transportation Director for CDOT, Jason Smith, said those repairs should improve the overall safety of the bridge for limited traffic and continued repairs into the fall.
“Once those four locations are stabilized and repaired we can put more loads on the bridge,” Smith explained.
While the County Road 26 bypass is open to travelers, it's still highly recommended that cyclists avoid traveling on the bypass. The road has been improved to allow for single-lane traffic, but the road work continues between scheduled road openings making it unsafe for cyclists.
County officials said that Kebler Pass is not anticipated to open Memorial Day weekend due to the recent storm. However, Cottonwood Pass will open on Friday, May 24.
Detour route information is available at gunnisoncounty.org.
Copyright 2024 KBUT.
This story was shared via Rocky Mountain Community Radio, a network of public media stations in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and New Mexico including Aspen Public Radio.
