On the afternoon of December 6th, the Lake Fork Bridge, located approximately 5 miles west of the US 50 Middle Bridge, was fully reopened to two-lane travel. The US 50 Middle Bridge reopened to two-lane travel back on November 13th.
Below is the press release from Colorado Department of Transportation.
"US 50 Lake Fork Bridge over the Blue Mesa Reservoir fully reopens on Friday afternoon
Montrose, Gunnison and Hinsdale Counties — The Colorado Department of Transportation is pleased to announce the reopening of the US Highway 50 Lake Fork Bridge to normal two-way travel beginning Friday, Dec. 6, in the afternoon.
The US 50 Middle Bridge, located five miles east of this bridge, reopened for 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 ahead of the busy holiday travel season,” she said.
Crews finished removing the temporary scaffolding structures from beneath the Lake Fork Bridge on Wednesday, Dec. 4. Other work completed included polyester concrete decking, painting and striping.
Repairs to the Lake Fork Bridge involved fabricating 182-ton plates, 915 steel plates total, and used 20,500 bolts in areas that posed an imminent risk to structural integrity. Work will be officially be complete in the spring of 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 it should only require single lane closures.
The US 50 Middle Bridge closed to all traffic April 18 to protect public safety after several cracks were observed during a special inspection. Inspections of the Lake Fork Bridge revealed similar anomalies, prompting single-lane closures on this bridge to address the cracks."
Gunnison County will provide updates in the spring of 2025 when painting of both bridges begins to communicate travel information.
Other updates and information resources:
[photo courtesy of https://stateparks.com/lake_fork_campground_in_colorado.html]