A local detour around the bridge closure on U.S. 50 over Blue Mesa will open Monday, allowing only people who live in Gunnison, Montrose and Hinsdale counties to reach work, school and medical care.
Gunnison County Emergency Management said Sunday that County Road 26 will open as a detour route two times per day in each direction for “critical local public travel.” A pilot car will help traffic navigate safely through the dirt mountain road that is not designed for high traffic levels.
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Bridge over Blue Mesa Reservoir closed indefinitely due to 3-inch-long crack in steel beam
The indefinite closure will create significant detours, adding between six to seven hours of travel, for drivers between Gunnison and Montrose
Read moreThe county and state are working to improve the road, also known as the Lake City cutoff, in case of a prolonged closure of U.S. 50.
The bridge has been closed to all traffic since Thursday evening, after an inspection of the bridge at Dillon Pinnacles revealed a 3-inch crack in structural steel. The unexpected shutdown has left people stranded on either side of the closure and facing six to seven hours of driving over precarious mountain passes to reach home — a journey that typically takes an hour.
A CDOT traffic study in 2022 showed that about 3,100 vehicles crossed the bridge daily.
A pilot car will guide traffic at the following times, starting Monday:
- 6:00 to 6:30 a.m. for westbound travel beginning at CO 149 and CR 26
- 7:00 to 7:30 a.m. for eastbound travel beginning at US 50 and CR 26
- 6:00 to 6:30 p.m. for westbound travel beginning at CO 149 and CR 26
- 7:00 to 7:30 p.m. for eastbound travel beginning at US 50 and CR 26
To maintain the route, crews will need to repair the road, so no other public travel will be allowed outside of the designated times, Gunnison County said. The detour route will not be open to trailers or commercial vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating higher than 16,000.
CDOT on Saturday said it is working to bring Kiewit Infrastructure Co. to the teams assessing and developing repair plans for the bridge. The company, familiar on major infrastructure projects in Colorado, worked to make temporary repairs to U.S. 34 through Big Thompson Canyon after massive flooding in September 2013 damaged the highway and two years later was hired for the permanent repairs.
In a Facebook post, Gunnison County said its staff is focused on preparing County Road 26 for “amounts of traffic that the road was never designed to support.” The county also said further improvements are under consideration that “will have costs totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
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Gunnison students take boat ride across Blue Mesa Reservoir to get to class around bridge closure
A timeline for reopening the U.S. 50 bridge over Colorado’s largest reservoir remains unclear, leaving thousands of residents scrambling for solutions to daily life
Read moreIn the years that followed the 2013 floods, which stranded people living in small Boulder and Larimer county mountain communities, local traffic was led by pilot cars on temporary roads through highway repair zones on U.S. 34, U.S. 36 and Colorado 7 on a schedule.
CDOT said in addition to the repair work on U.S. 50, it is working to inspect three critical spans near the middle of the bridge.
The crack was discovered during an inspection of high-strength steel bridges, required by the Federal Highway Administration, CDOT said. The inspection last week was mandated because of known issues with similarly constructed bridges.
The crack first appeared as a “rusted line,” but when paint was scraped away and the metal ground down, it revealed a crack causing a higher level of concern. CDOT closed the bridge to all traffic, including inspectors.
Gunnison County officials stressed that the detour is for local travelers only. All other drivers are advised to take alternative routes — Interstate 70 and U.S. 160. Both routes add hours in travel time. The northern route is 354 miles and requires about six hours. The southern route is 331 miles and requires nearly seven hours.