CDOT announces extended opening times for passage on US 50 Middle Bridge beginning Friday

Montrose, Gunnison and Hinsdale Counties — The Colorado Department of Transportation is pleased to extend opening times of the US Highway 50 Middle Bridge for the Labor Day weekend. Approved vehicles will be able to cross both bridges from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. from Friday, Aug. 30, through Monday, Sept. 2 in a one-way alternating traffic formation. Following the holiday weekend, the both bridges will remain fully open from 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily with pilot car operations and alternating traffic. The Middle Bridge will close for repair work from 7 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. starting Sept. 3, and the Lake Fork Bridge will have longer traffic holds during those overnight hours. This schedule will continue through at least mid-October.

With several phases of repairs complete and global plating operations continuing on the US 50 Middle Bridge, the operation will also see an expanded list of vehicles that can cross. County Road 26 will remain open with pilot car operations and maintained as a detour for commercial vehicles and semi trucks.

Approved for crossing over the US 50 Middle Bridge:

• Passenger vehicles
• Pickup trucks
• Vans
• Motorcycles
• Emergency vehicles, ambulances and fire trucks
• School buses

Starting on Aug. 30, the following vehicles can now cross over the US 50 Middle Bridge:

• 0.75 ton or smaller pickups with bumper pull trailers (boats, campers, side-by-sides)
• Compact Class C motorhomes
• Small single rear axle box trucks

Required to utilize County Road 26 detour:

• All Class A motorhomes
• Larger Class C motorhomes
• Semi-trucks
• Commercial buses
• Pickup trucks with a gooseneck trailer or a fifth-wheel camper or trailer

US 50 Lake Fork Bridge Update

Traffic on the US 50 Lake Fork Bridge continues to be led by pilot cars during the day to keep speeds low while construction crews work on temporary scaffolding decks under the bridge. Beginning Tuesday, Sept. 3, overnight extended flagging operations will commence from 11:30 p.m. to 6 a.m. seven days a week on the US 50 Lake Fork Bridge. Crews will be conducting repair work on the bridge overnight. Motorists should expect longer wait times to cross the bridge during this time frame. The US 50 Lake Fork Bridge is open to all legal loads.

This revised plan prioritizes getting public travel closer to normal as soon as possible. It also extends the nighttime construction activity later into the season.

The project team is working towards allowing all legal loads, including commercial vehicles and semi trucks, as well as extending the opening time of the US 50 Middle Bridge from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. daily by mid-October.

Detour Routes:

Motorists who use County Road 26 as a detour will encounter a new schedule starting Tuesday, Sept. 3, which is detailed below.

County Road 26 continues to serve as a bypass around the bridge closure for travel between Gunnison and Montrose. This detour route is open for seven releases in each direction every day except Wednesdays when there are five releases in each direction. Each Wednesday there is a midday closure to allow crews to safely make repairs to the road, when staff and materials are available. The State of Colorado legal maximum vehicle dimensions and weights will be enforced. This allows trailers and heavier commercial vehicles to use the bypass.

Vehicles traveling through Colorado should utilize the alternate state highway detours to the north and south (Interstate 70 and US Highway 160) instead of County Road 26 if possible. To maintain the local access route as a viable, safe bypass, traffic is managed using pilot vehicles. It is a high mountain native surface and gravel road.

Along with County Road 26, Kebler Pass is now open for the season to help ease travel through the area. Kebler Pass restrictions include no vehicles over 30,000 pounds, no vehicles longer than 50 feet and no hazardous materials.

For state permits contact the Colorado Department of Transportation at 1-800-350-3765 or through coopr.codot.gov.

For County permits contact Gunnison County Public Works at 970-641-0044 or email [email protected] or online at gunnisoncounty.org/157/Public-Works.

A hotline and email address continue to be available to assist customers with questions about the local access route and US 50 bridge closure. Anyone with questions can reach out via 970-648-4423 or [email protected]. Calls are closely monitored and receive a prompt reply. Information is also available on the project website at bit.ly/us50bridge. Travelers should refer to COtrip.org or the smartphone COtrip Planner app to plan an alternate route.

Travel Impacts

• US 50 is closed between Montrose and Gunnison
• Recommended alternate routes are I-70 to the north or US 160 to the south
• A limited, local access route, Gunnison CR 26, is in place for travel. Up-to-date travel times are posted to bit.ly/us50bridge and the Gunnison County bridge closure page at gunnisoncounty.org/1078/Hwy-50-Bridge-Closure. No public travel will be allowed outside of the times posted.
  • Oversize/overweight vehicles will only be allowed on CR 26 with a permit on Wednesdays per Colorado Department of Transportation regulations. https://leg.colorado.gov/content/size-and-weight-limitations
  • No Placarded Hazardous Materials loads per Colorado Department of Transportation regulations
  • Prohibited vehicles will need to use detours on I-70 or US 160 to travel between Gunnison and Montrose.

Resources for Information and Updates

• Call (970) 648-4423 for the US 50 Bridge Closure Hotline, staffed from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Friday; leave a voicemail for a call back at other times
• You can email questions to [email protected]
• Website resources: gunnisoncounty.org/1078/Hwy-50-Bridge-Closure, bit.ly/us50bridge; https://www.facebook.com/US50bridge
• To sign up for email updates on all Gunnison County roadwork messaging, please visit https://www.gunnisoncounty.org/list.aspx to select what updates you’d like to start receiving. For road updates, select Travel Advisories from the List.

Know Before You Go

Travelers are urged to “know before you go.” Gather information about weather forecasts and anticipated travel impacts and current road conditions prior to hitting the road. CDOT resources include:

• Road conditions and travel information: COtrip.org
• Download the COtrip Planner app: bit.ly/COtripapp
• Sign up for project or travel alerts: bit.ly/COnewsalerts
• See scheduled construction lane closures: bit.ly/laneclosures
• Connect with @ColoradoDOT on social media: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube

Remember: Slow For The Cone Zone

The following tips are to help you stay safe while traveling through maintenance and construction work zones.

• Do not speed in work zones. Obey the posted speed limits.
• Stay Alert! Expect the unexpected.
• Watch for workers. Drive with caution.
• Don't change lanes unnecessarily.
• Avoid using mobile devices such as phones while driving in work zones.
• Turn on headlights so that workers and other drivers can see you.
• Be especially alert at night while driving in work zones.
• Expect delays, especially during peak travel times.
• Allow ample space between you and the car in front of you.
• Anticipate lane shifts and merge when directed to do so.
• Be patient!

Download the COtrip App!

The new free COtrip Planner mobile app was designed to meet the growing trend of information on mobile and tablet devices for the traveling public. The COtrip Planner app provides statewide, real-time traffic information, and works on mobile devices that operate on the iOS and Android platforms. Visit the Google Play Store (Android devices) or the Apple Store (iOS devices) to download!