GUNNISON — This weekend, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and Gunnison County officials have been working together to speed up improvements to County Road 26 so it can open on Monday.
Once open, this county road can be used for limited travel between Montrose and Gunnison.
According to a press release from CDOT, engineers are continuing to perform safety inspections of the U.S. Highway 50 bridge.
This bridge closed on Thursday, April 18, after an inspection revealed a crack in one of the girders.
WATCH: CORRECTION: A crack causes a bridge to close between Gunnison and Montrose
CDOT says that they recognize that the U.S. 50 bridge closure creates a significant detour for those looking to travel between Montrose and Gunnison which is why they have been working to get this shorter access route opened up.
They also say that their partnership with Gunnison County will continue as the county road is fortified with gravel and traffic is mangaed to a level that the road can safely withstand.
Starting Monday, April 22, pilot cars will lead passenger vehicles along the county road two times a day in each direction.
Because CR 26 is an unpaved, high-mountain road that was not built to accomodate the same amounts of traffic as the U.S. 50 bridge, travel times will be limited to
- 6:00 to 6:30 a.m. & 6:00 to 6:30 p.m. for westbound travel
- 7:00 to 7:30 a.m. & 7:00 to 7:30 p.m. for eastbound travel
Those looking to travel westbound can meet the pilot cars near the intersection of CO 149 and CR 26. Those looking to travel eastbound can meet the pilot cars near the intersection of U.S. 50 and CR 26.
The travel time using this access route is expected to be 30 minutes or more.
Commercial vehicles over a 16,001 gross vehicle weight are prohibited from using this route.
County Road 26 will only be available for essential travel and only during the timeframes listed above.
During all other times the road will remain closed due to the ongoing restoration work needed to make sure that the road remains safe to travel.
The recommended detour for northbound travel continues to be via Interstate 70. The recommeded detour for southbound travel continues to be via U.S. 160.
These detours add six to eight hours of travel time.
For additional information about this project, you can
- visit the project website
- call the project team at 970-648-4423
- email the project team at us50bridge@gmail.com
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