On Dec. 6, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) reopened the Hwy. 50 Lake Fork bridge to normal two-way traffic.
After more than eight months, last week’s announcement ended all travel restrictions along Hwy. 50. Five miles to the east, the Blue Mesa Reservoir middle bridge had reopened to two-way travel Nov. 13.
“We are thrilled to announce the restoration of two-way traffic on the Lake Fork bridge, which will return the lane configuration between Gunnison and Montrose back to normal ahead of the holidays,” said CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew. “We recognize how challenging the closures on US 50 have been for the local community so we are pleased to reach this completion milestone.”
Crews finished removing the temporary scaffolding structures from beneath the Lake Fork bridge on Dec. 4. Construction workers also completed polyester concrete decking, painting and striping.
Repairs involved fabricating 182-ton plates — more than 900 steel plates total — and 20,500 bolts, used to strengthen areas that posed an imminent risk to structural integrity of the Lake Fork bridge. The repair project will officially be complete in 2025 after the final coat of paint is applied to both bridges. This work will be done in the spring when temperatures are warmer and should only require single lane closures.
The middle bridge closed to all traffic April 18 to protect public safety after several cracks were found during a special inspection. Inspections of the Lake Fork bridge revealed similar anomalies, prompting single-lane closures.
(Source: Colorado Depart- ment of Transporation)
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