GUNNISON COUNTY, Colo. — A bridge on US Highway 50 located between Gunnison and Montrose was immediately shut down by the state's transportation department in both directions of travel after a safety inspection revealed cracking.
After an ongoing safety inspection, the Federal Highway Administration and state bridge engineering experts urged the Colorado Department of Transportation to close the bridge. CDOT closed US 50 between Highway 92 and milepost 138 and only local traffic is allowed through the closure point to reach residences.
"They shut the bridge down indefinitely and it is the only road between Gunnison and Montrose and will affect travel," said Gunnison County Sheriff Adam Murdie. "It's a very heavily used road, especially for emergency services, transports from the small Gunnison hospital and we have transports that go to Montrose and Grand Junction for treatment."
CDOT directed travelers to plan an alternate route.
The inspection was required because bridges around the country with similar structures have known issues, said CDOT.
A defect was first observed during an early investigation and CDOT immediately conducted a second inspection and performed another testing method to determine if the defect posed a safety hazard on the bridge. The second inspection took place on Thursday.
CDOT recommended alternate routes:
This closure will create a significant detour for commuters between Montrose and Gunnison.
- The recommended detour route for through traffic is via Interstate 70 to the north or US 160 to the south. CDOT said it understands the inconvenience that this creates and is rapidly evaluating options to improve options for residents, businesses, and travelers on the Western Slope.
- The northern route is 354 miles and requires approximately six hours of travel.
- The southern route is 331 miles and requires nearly seven hours of travel. CDOT and local partners are exploring if it is feasible to clear local seasonal routes that may be able to help reduce the detour time for local travelers.
Sheriff Mundie said the condition of old mountain roads is not great and not meant for travel, but with improvements they could be good options for local traffic. Another obstacle for county officials to consider is the environmental closures for Gunnison sage grouse habitat protections.
"These are back country roads, not highway roads," he said. "If we can authorize a way to make the back roads travelable we would look at opening them to locals only, the highway will still be shut down to large trucks and semis - it's the only option to get any transportation out or in."
The sheriff recalled a bridge closure from last year on Highway 133 just east of Somerset after a big culvert was washed out. Crews put in a temporary bridge before the repairs could be done.
"We are well versed at dealing with bridges being closed and we will find an alternate route as I'm going into a first meeting to try and answer some of those questions," said Murdie. "They had an alternate route for local traffic with a pass system."
Residents were issued a pass they used to get past the closure onto a dirt road constructed to help locals travel around the closure.
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