US 50 bridge over Blue Mesa will be open for July 4, in a limited capacity
DENVER (KDVR) — The Colorado Department of Transportation anticipates being able to meet its goal of partially reopening the U.S. 50 Blue Mesa middle bridge ahead of the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
The news was released Thursday, only a week before the nation’s birthday but months after the April 18 closure. The agency said the first phase of repairs for the cracked steel has been completed.
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Emergency and smaller vehicles will be allowed to start crossing the bridge over Blue Mesa Reservoir at 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday, July 3.
That means passenger vehicles, pickup trucks, vans, motorcycles and emergency vehicles are approved to cross the bridge. CDOT will require larger vehicles, including RVs and campers, motorhomes, trucks pulling trailers, semitrailers and buses to take the County Road 26 detour.
“We continue to work towards completing needed repairs ahead of winter,” said CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew in the reopening announcement. “Over the course of the holiday weekend, the bridge will be open for 12 hours a day, which we hope encourages tourism in this area as these communities are still very much open for business. Starting on July 8, we will settle into a twice-a-day opening schedule to allow crews to continue to work on repairs throughout the day.”
Because of U.S. 50’s limited reopening, CDOT crews are also looking at potential repair work on the Lake Fork Bridge, on the west side of Sapinero, leading to lane closures this weekend. Crews will be installing strain gauge sensors, among other pre-construction work.
CDOT is planning single-lane closures on the Lake Fork Bridge beginning Friday, June 28, through Monday, July 1, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Detours, overweight and over-width load routes
Because of the limited reopening of U.S. 50, County Road 26 will remain open and maintained as a detour for local public travel. CDOT noted that Kebler Pass is also open as a seasonal route; however, vehicles on that road must be less than 30,000 pounds, less than 50 feet long and carry no hazardous materials.
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Drivers who are not heading to Colorado destinations are asked to use alternate detours — one is on Interstate 70 to the north and the second is on U.S. 160 to the south.
On Wednesday, County Road 26 began allowing overweight and over-width traffic. These loads require special permitting for state and county roads and are allowed only on Wednesdays. Eastbound release times are 6:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. and westbound release times are 7:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. Each release window is 30 minutes.
During the long holiday weekend, one bridge lane will be open. Pilot cars will lead single-direction traffic at slow speeds between 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Beginning July 8, pilot cars will lead single-direction traffic daily from 6:30-8:30 a.m. and 4:30-6:30 p.m.
During the Wednesday opening, CDOT plans to give “refreshments and cookies” to motorists who line up at the closure points as a show of appreciation.
What repairs has CDOT been working to complete?
Officials closed the bridge in southwest Colorado because of cracking in a particular type of steel, T1, used in the bridge’s construction. The bridge was built in 1963 and state inspectors found a defect at milepost 136.3, and during a second inspection crews “identified anomalies in the bridge.”
US 50 bridge crossing the Blue Mesa Reservoir near Dillon Pinnacles (Colorado Department of Transportation) Inspectors continue conducting work on the US 50 middle bridge over Blue Mesa Reservoir. (Courtesy the Colorado Department of Transportation) Identified crack on US 50 bridge near the Dillon Pinnacles, located west of Gunnison. This photo shows the crack after further investigation. (CDOT) Inspectors are removing paint and conducting ultrasonic testing on the underside of the bridge while tarps prevent debris from falling into the reservoir Identified crack on US 50 bridge near the Dillon Pinnacles, located west of Gunnison. This photo shows the crack found during initial investigation
T1 steel is used in two Colorado bridges, both spanning portions of Blue Mesa Reservoir.
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CDOT crews have since completed the first step of critical repairs on the bridge’s bottom flange, the horizontal portion of an L-shaped beam. Crews completed the repairs while suspended on temporary scaffolding on the side of the bridge, CDOT reported.
Crews began “bolting four plates in four locations on Wednesday, June 12,” during the first phase to address areas that “posed an imminent risk to structural integrity.” Each plate was described as 23 feet long, 2.5 feet wide and 2.5 inches thick, weighing approximately 9,000 pounds each. CDOT said the plates required over 200 bolts to secure each of them in place.
As of Thursday, CDOT crews were reportedly modifying the bridge’s expansion joints to prepare for traffic on July 3. Over the weekend, crews will prepare for quick deck access to allow repairs on the top flange beginning July 8. The bottom flange’s “global repairs” will start in August, CDOT said.
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