An inspection Thursday revealed a crack in a beam on the Highway U.S. 50 bridge over Blue Mesa Reservoir. CDOT courtesy photo.
When it comes to bridges, the last thing you want to see in the steel supports is a crack — or several of them. On Thursday, April 18 Colorado Department of Transportation staff discovered cracks in a supporting beam of the U.S. 50 bridge over the Blue Mesa Reservoir at Dillon Pinnacles west of Gunnison. The discovery on Thursday prompted the Federal Highway Administration to issue an immediate safety closure of the bridge last Friday.
Officials are working on the next steps to repair and reopen the bridge. But as of today, there is no estimate of a timeline for repairs to the hardened steel bridge.
This CDOT photo shows the understructure of the Highway 50 bridge over Blue Mesa Reservoir between Gunnison and Montrose. CDOT courtesy photo.
The impacts of this closure are significant, not just for residents, but represent a major traffic headache for the regionally important U.S. 50 roadway. CDOT does not yet have a recommended local alternate route open.
Detours will involve traffic using I-70 to the north and U.S. 160 to the south, meaning six to eight hours of extra travel time.
CDOT officials say they are working to collaborate with local partners to deal with seasonal road areas that are still waterlogged (translation: turning to mud) from spring runoff and will need repairs to support additional traffic. It is already hauling gravel to some of the trouble spots.
As the roads are stabilized, they’ll first be available for local emergency services while plans are made to support limited local travel. Other regional travelers heading east or west, should refer to COtrip.org or the smartphone COtrip Planner app to plan an alternate route.
CDOT has also announced a hotline and email to assist those with questions about the closure. “Anyone with questions can reach out via 970-648-4423 or us50bridge@gmail.com, according to a CDOT spokesperson. Calls will be closely monitored and will receive a prompt reply. Information is also available on the project website at bit.ly/us50bridge.
This might not be the only U.S. 50 bridge experiencing cracking issues. The Federal Highway Administration initiated required inspections for a certain type of steel bridge, due to concerns over safety, according to CDOT. There is another steel bridge of this type in the state, located just west, also on U.S. 50. According to CDOT, “[it] is continuing with inspections of both of these bridges, and the results of those examinations will determine the plans for fixes, as well as the timeframe to make those repairs.”
The incident is yet another reminder of why the federal passage of the Infrastructure Bill is important; prompting federal, state and local governments to review the status of our critical infrastructure.
This remains a developing news story. Check back for updates.
Editor’s note: Ark Valley Voice journalists, Senior Reporter Dan Smith and Managing Editor Jan Wondra, contributed to this news story.
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