GUNNISON, Colo. — Crews continue to make progress repairing a bridge in western Colorado that was closed in April due to structural problems.
The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) said in a release that a single lane of the US 50 Middle Bridge in Gunnison will be open to all legal loads on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 24 hours a day.
CDOT said final construction activities will continue during overnight hours, from 11:30 p.m. to 6 a.m. Final repairs are expected to be finished by winter.
Traffic over the Middle Bridge will continue to be piloted in one direction, CDOT said, and heavier vehicles will be released one at a time over the bridge while the temporary work deck is removed from below the structure. Anyone traveling over the bridge should expect delays. Late-night drivers can expect longer wait times.
The U.S. 50 Middle Bridge closed to all traffic on April 18 after several cracks were found during a special inspection. Inspections over the next several weeks revealed more cracks, CDOT said, with nearly 120 locations to address.
CDOT said the completion of the first phase of repairs, which involved installing four large steel plates beneath the bridge in areas that posed an imminent risk to structural integrity, allowed CDOT to open the bridge to limited traffic on July 3.
Most vehicles were able to cross the bridge just before Labor Day.
The US 50 Lake Fork Bridge is also open to all legal loads but repair work continues, CDOT said. The bridge is open to all vehicles, with flaggers directing traffic from 6 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. seven days a week. Drivers can expect longer wait times to cross the bridge between 11:30 p.m. and 6 a.m. as repair work continues during the overnight hours.
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