US Hwy 50 Bridge Closure

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US Hwy 50 Bridge Closure – Lake City Visitor Information

Updated July 8, 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 and affects travel between Montrose and Lake City.

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: 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. 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. Continue reading for piloted release times and more information.

Middle Bridge limited opening information:

• From July 3 to 7, one lane will be open on the Middle Bridge, and pilot cars will lead alternating, single-direction traffic all day between 6:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.. * Except for July 4 when the bridge will remain open until midnight.

• Beginning Monday, July 8, the bridge will be open only from 6:30 to 8:30 a.m. and again from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.. This, again, will be alternating, single-direction traffic led by a pilot car.

• Only smaller vehicles will be allowed to use the Middle Bridge.

• Bicycles are not allowed to cross the Middle Bridge or to take the County Road 26 detour.  Bicycles must use Kebler pass as the detour between Gunnison and Montrose.

Vehicles approved for crossing over the US 50 Middle Bridge:

• Passenger Vehicles

• Pickup Trucks

• Vans, including Sprinter Vans

• Motorcycles

• Emergency vehicles, ambulances and fire trucks

Vehicles Required to utilize County Road 26 detour:

• RV/Campers

• Motorhomes

• Trucks pulling trailers (boats, campers, side by sides)

• Semi trucks

• Buses

Westbound US 50 Gunnison to Montrose

• Westbound US 50 traffic (going toward Montrose) will be separated through signage at the Colorado Highway 149 and US 50 intersection, which is 11.6 miles east of the Middle Bridge.

  • Passenger vehicles will be allowed to continue on to the Middle Bridge between 6:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. from July 3 to 7 as well as the scheduled Middle Bridge passage times beginning July 8.

  • Commercial Vehicles, trailers and RVs will be directed to continue on CO 149 to the CR 26 detour

  • Signage will be in place to also allow access to local vehicles wishing to camp/fish/recreate along the north shore of the reservoir

  • An additional flagging station will be in place at US 50 and County Road 723 (1.5 miles east of K-07-B) to stop any vehicles that may not have received the message at US 50 and CO 149

  • Signage will be updated at US 50 and CO 149 at the end of the access window (6:30 p.m.) directing all westbound traffic to use CO 149 to the CR 26 detour

Eastbound US 50 Montrose to Gunnison

• Eastbound US 50 traffic (going toward Gunnison) will be stopped at the CR 26 turnoff that is the current detour location. This stopping point is .5 miles west of the Middle Bridge. At this first stop, traffic will be separated by passenger vehicles that are allowed over the Middle Bridge and larger vehicles that are required to take the CR 26 detour.

  • Commercial trucks, RVs and vehicles pulling trailers will need to go on CR 26

  • Passenger vehicles and motorcycles will be allowed over the structure between 6:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. from July 3 to 7 as well as the scheduled Middle Bridge passage times beginning July 8.

• After 6:30 p.m., all vehicles at this point will be detoured onto CR 26 via the current pilot car operations.

Lake Fork Bridge Work Update

Starting July 8 – Single lane closures will be used for inspection and testing through late July
Starting late July, nighttime closures will take place for asphalt overlay removal and installation of the underside worker decking
Traffic operations through October are forecasted to be single lane closures during the day and full nighttime closures throughout the repair phase (similar to Middle Bridge)
Traffic loading on the Lake Fork Bridge is forecasted to be limited to legal loads (no permitted overweight loads) and local emergency vehicles

County Road 26 Detour Route Information

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.

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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. (Schedule below)

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. The Little Blue Canyon Project is still ongoing and will also affect travel between 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. Starting June 26th, Gunnison County Road 26 will allow overweight and over-width traffic. 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.

County Road 26 Release Times: Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays

County Road 26 Release Times: Wednesdays Only

Resources for Information, Updates, and Questions:

• CDOT US 50 Bridge Closure Hotline: (970) 648-4423 staffed 7 am until 8 pm Monday through Friday; leave a voicemail for a call back at other times.  
• CDOT Email for Questions: us50bridge@gmail.com.
• CDOT US 50 Bridge Website
• CDOT US 50 Bridge Facebook
• Lake City / Hinsdale County Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center: 970-944-2527

Photos of CR 26 (Lake City Cutoff)

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