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The bridge was initially closed in April after a safety inspection revealed cracking.
GUNNISON COUNTY, Colo. — The U.S. Highway 50 Middle Bridge over Blue Mesa Reservoir between Gunnison and Montrose is officially open to two-way travel, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) announced Wednesday.
Both lanes opened for travel at about midday.
The bridge was closed to all traffic starting April 18 after a safety inspection revealed several cracks. The initial closure resulted in over 300-mile-long detours.
CDOT said the repair process involved installing 250 tons of steel plate with over 25,000 bolts to repair the structure in areas deemed an “imminent risk to structural integrity.” Each steel plate bolted beneath the bridge is about 23 feet long, 2.5 feet wide and 2.5 inches thick and weighs about 9,000 pounds, according to CDOT.
The initial repairs were completed to open the bridge to one lane limited traffic on July 3, and by Oct. 16 all legal loads started traveling over the bridge in a single lane.
“We appreciate the community’s patience and support throughout these past several months,” CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew said in a release Wednesday. “We know this bridge closure posed a very challenging situation for many people throughout southwest Colorado, and your resilience and understanding were crucial in helping us get to this point and we are pleased to have it open for business before winter shutdown.”
The US 50 Lake Fork Bridge, which is about five miles west of Middle Bridge, will still be restricted to one lane of travel. CDOT said work there is expected to finish in December.
CDOT said crews are still removing the temporary platform from beneath the Lake Fork Bridge and priming the steel for the final coat of paint that will be put on each bridge next spring when temperatures are warmer.
Both lanes across the US 50 Lake Fork Bridge are expected to open in December, CDOT said.
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