Anyone else sick of traffic? Well, those who have experienced driving at the closure of the Middle Bridge might relate to your pain. After months of construction and being closed down, the Highway 50 bridge crossing Blue Mesa Reservoir has reopened on a temporary basis as of September 3rd, 2024, from 6:30a.m. to 7:00p.m. daily.
The Middle Bridge began to pose a variety of issues starting in early April, after the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) discovered prominent signs of damage on the bridge during a required inspection ordered by the Federal Highway Administration.
The inspection by CDOT was conducted on the bridge, which is made of steel, after signs of cracking were discovered on similarly constructed bridges across the country. After two inspections, the Middle Bridge was shut down on April 19th, closing nearly four miles of the road from Mile Point 136 to 140, ensuring that crews were able to conduct repairs safely.
“I remember hearing about when the bridge first closed. I was surprised that it was such a big issue that they would shut it down so quickly and unexpectedly. It’s taken months and they’re still not finished,” said CMU freshman Olivia Salerno
The cracks on the bridge were actually discovered during a previous inspection in 2022. Why action on the issue has just now been taken remains up for question. The passing of two years since the discovery of the problem has allowed for the the cracks to worsen over time.
Kiewit Construction Company was contracted to fix the bridge, and the majority of repairs altogether have cost nearly $6 million.
The Middle Bridge has undergone two phases of construction. The first phase has focused on repairing critical issues such as the most prominent cracks by bolting on new plates so that the bridge may be opened for limited travel.
The bridge was opened on a more temporary basis in July for this purpose, with one lane open for traffic in alternating directions. Its initial reopening was set mainly for smaller vehicles and emergency services.
The second phase is set with the goal of reopening the bridge full time after finishing construction.
The bridge closure has affected areas such as Gunnison, Hinsdale and Montrose, as many used the bridge to travel to places such as Grand Junction. The closure has sent many commuters a good deal of time out of their way just to get to their desired destination, if they can at all.
“I have an aunt who lives in Gunnison, just across the bridge closure, and she’s been dealing with construction for years. And so with the bridge closure, the bus was completely shut down for weeks. She had to reschedule her medical appointments,” said Professor of Geology Dr. Julia McHugh.
Not only has the bridge closure affected travelers local to Grand Junction and the CMU campus, but it has also affected those traveling through Denver and to other states across the U.S
“[Over the summer] I would have normally gone through Crested Butte to go down to Texas. But instead, I went through Denver and so it added some time to my travel,” said Instructor of English Allison Morris.
The bridge has now officially reopened as of September 3rd, allowing travel for nearly all vehicles except for large motorhomes, semi-trucks, commercial buses and certain pickup trucks. The bridge is only currently only opened for a minimal amount of time each day, being 12.5 hours. This is an improvement compared to previous allowances, but there is still obvious progress to be made.
This traffic has brought up issues that many people have had with the amount of construction in Colorado, as it seems to have become a consistent issue.
“There are at least four different spots where there is road construction [when traveling to GJ] and it affects the way that traffic flows. It just doesn’t seem like anyone cares about how much traffic there is and how frustrating it becomes to travel,” said CMU freshman Brianna Pena.
It has been debated that the issue of the Middle Bridge being closed down for such an extensive period of time could potentially have been avoided if the cracks had been addressed in a more immediately.
The continuous construction has affected hundreds of commuters’ travel and has added a large excess of time on the road to their destinations. This has sparked a lot of conversation and complaint about how ineffective and time consuming construction across Colorado has become.
While this whole ordeal has caused a great deal of frustration to many travelers, as well as overall chaos in regards to traffic, rest assured the second phase of repairs on the Middle Bridge is scheduled to be completed some time in the Fall, and a final plan to allow all vehicles to access the bridge full time is under works.
