US Hwy 50 Bridge Closure

Closed Bridge US 50

US Hwy 50 Bridge Closure – Lake City Visitor Information

Updated September 30, 2024
New information is continually being released, so check back often for the latest information.

A safety closure is in place for a bridge on US Highway 50 located west of Gunnison – although it has been partially reopened now that Phase I repairs are complete.

Lake City is accessible from Gunnison and Creede on Hwy 149 with no closures.

Allow 2-3 hours for travel to / from Montrose and Lake City.

About the Closure: The Colorado Department of Transportation has 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 between US 50 Mile Point 136 and MP 140. Phase I repairs, which involved fixing cracks and critical issues in four areas that pose an imminent risk to structural integrity, are complete and the bridge opened to traffic on July 3. Phase II completion along with a full reopening of the bridge is scheduled for fall 2024.

9/30 Update – US 50 Middle and Lake Fork Bridges expanded limited openings continue:

 

  • The US 50 Lake Fork Bridge is open from 6 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. daily with flaggers alternating one lane of traffic. Extended flagging operations take place from 11:30 p.m. to 6 a.m. seven days a week on the Lake Fork Bridge. Motorists should anticipate longer waits during these night operations.
  • The US 50 Middle Bridge remains open from 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily with pilot car operations and alternating traffic. The Middle Bridge closes nightly for repair work from 7 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. This schedule will continue through at least October.
  • The County Road 26 detour will move maintenance operations from Wednesdays to Sundays beginning this Sunday, Sept. 29, from 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

With several phases of repairs complete and global plating operations continuing on the US 50 Middle Bridge, heavier vehicles are now able to cross the US 50 Middle Bridge. County Road 26 will remain open with pilot car operations and maintained as a detour for commercial vehicles and semi-trucks.

Vehicles approved for crossing over the US 50 Middle Bridge:

  • Passenger vehicles
  • Pickup trucks (including pickups with in-bed camper tops)
  • Vans
  • Motorcycles
  • Emergency vehicles, ambulances and fire trucks
  • School buses
  • ¾ ton or smaller pickups with bumper pull trailers (boats, campers, side-by-sides)
  • Compact Class C motorhomes
  • Small single rear axle box trucks
  • Unloaded Tow 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 5th-wheel camper or trailer

The following vehicles must use County Road 26 (for more information visit the County Road 26 Detour Information webpage):

  • All Class A motorhomes
  • Larger Class C motorhomes
  • Semi-trucks
  • Commercial buses
  • Pickup trucks with a gooseneck trailer or a 5th-wheel camper or trailer

Lake Fork Bridge Work Update

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.

County Road 26 (Lake City Cutoff) Detour Information 

A bypass on County Road 26 (CR 26, also known as the Lake City Cutoff) will be open multiple times per day in each direction for local public travel. This bypass is open to anyone traveling to Lake City. CR 26 is a high mountain native surface and gravel road. 

To maintain this as a viable, safe bypass, traffic will be managed using pilot vehicles at certain times of day. See schedule here.

It takes approximately 45 minutes to get to the westbound queue from Lake City. It takes approximately 50 minutes to get to the eastbound queue from Montrose.

Allow 2-3 hours for travel to / from Montrose and Lake City. 

RVs and trailers are allowed on CR 26 as long as long as they meet the State of Colorado legal maximum vehicle dimensions and weights. Learn more about OWOS loads here.

Release times are when the pilot car leaves. You must be in the queue by the start of the release time. For westbound travel, traffic will queue on CR 26. For eastbound travel, traffic will queue on Hwy 50.

US 50 Bypass Route

Photos of CR 26 (Lake City Cutoff)

CR 26 Bypass
CR 26 Bypass
CR 26 Bypass

Resources for Information, Updates, and Questions: