A damaged bridge spanning Colorado’s largest reservoir is now in good enough shape for vehicles of all weights to travel across it, bringing an end to a lengthy, dirt-road detour.
The U.S. 50 Middle Bridge over Blue Mesa Reservoir closed in April when inspectors found defects in the steel structure, hindering travel between Montrose and Gunnison.
Repairs allowed the bridge to reopen one lane for limited passenger vehicle traffic in July. However, larger vehicles, such as commercial buses and semi-trucks, have still had to use County Road 26 as a detour.
Beginning Wednesday, those larger vehicles will be allowed back on the bridge, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.
“Traffic over the Middle Bridge will continue to be piloted in one direction at a time, and heavier vehicles – including semi trucks, charter buses and class A motorhomes – will be released one at a time over the bridge while the temporary work deck is removed from below the structure,” the agency said in a release. “For this reason, anyone traveling over the Middle Bridge should continue to plan for delays.”
New steel plating has strengthened the structure, though repairs are expected to continue through the spring, as weather allows, with work continuing overnight.
While crews are expected to make final repair work in the spring, CODT said the ongoing night work should make it so the bridge can return to normal, two-lane operations before next winter.
Repairs are ongoing on the nearby Lake Fork Bridge, which was also identified for improvements as it was made of the same steel as the Middle Bridge. Traffic remains open to all vehicles with similar piloted one-lane travel.
