US 50 Bridge over Blue Mesa is closed

CDOT closed the bridge at the urging of the Federal Highway Administration and state bridge engineering experts due to the findings of an ongoing safety inspection, which identified anomalies in the bridge on Thursday, April 18. The closure is in place at US 50 Mile Point 131 (intersection with Colorado Highway 92) to MP 138. Local traffic on the west side of the closure will be allowed through the closure point to reach residences.

Motorists should use COtrip to plan an alternate route. This closure will create a significant detour for commuters between Montrose and Gunnison. The recommended detour route for through traffic is via Interstate 70 to the north or US 160 to the south. CDOT understands the inconvenience that this creates and is rapidly evaluating options to improve options for residents, businesses, and travelers on the western slope. The northern route is 354 miles and requires approximately 6 hours of travel time. The southern route is 331 miles and requires nearly 7 hours of travel time.

All project information and details are available at the below websites. Questions should be addressed to the email or phone number listed below:

Important Contact Information

Websites:
CDOT Website
Gunnison County Website

Email: us50bridge@gmail.com
Phone: 970-648-4423

Travel release Times Effective 5/3/24

Friday May 3rd, the County Road 26, bypass will now be open 4 times per day in each direction for critical local travel. To open this as a viable, safe detour, traffic will need to be managed using pilot vehicles. CR 26 (also known as Lake City Cutoff) is a high mountain native surface road that is not built to sustain existing US 50 traffic levels. 

New Piloted release times will be: 

6:30 to 7:00 a.m. for westbound travel beginning at CO 149 and CR 26.
7:30 to 8:00 a.m. for eastbound travel beginning at US 50 and CR 26. 

Noon to 12:30 p.m. for westbound travel beginning at CO 149 and CR 26. 
1:00 to 1:30 p.m. for eastbound travel beginning at US 50 and CR 26. 

6:30 to 7:00 p.m. for westbound travel beginning at CO 149 and CR 26. 
7:30 to 8:00 p.m. for eastbound travel beginning at US 50 and CR 26. 

8:30 to 9:00 p.m. for westbound travel beginning at CO 149 and CR 26. 
9:30 to 10:00 p.m. for eastbound travel beginning at US 50 and CR 26. 

No other public travel will be allowed outside of these times. 

•    No trailers of any type will be allowed at this time. 
•    The bypass will not be open to commercial vehicles more than 16,000 GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating).
•    Prohibited vehicles will need to use detours on Interstate 70 or Colorado Highway 160 to travel between Gunnison and Montrose.