US 50 Middle Bridge Openings Schedule
US 50 Middle Bridge Travel Schedule
Travel over the US 50 Middle Bridge is open from 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week, through at least mid-October. Travel will be limited to the vehicles listed below. As work progresses, heavier vehicles and vehicles towing trailers will eventually be allowed across the bridge with the goal of opening travel to all legal loads by mid-October.
The following vehicles are allowed to use the bridge as of Friday, Aug. 30, through at least mid-October (visual guide linked here):
- Passenger vehicles
- Pickup trucks
- Vans
- Motorcycles
- Emergency vehicles, ambulances and fire trucks
- School buses
- 3/4 ton or smaller pickups with bumper pull trailers (boats, campers, side-by-sides)
- Compact Class C motorhomes
- Small single-rear axle box trucks
- Bicycles
- Unloaded Tow Trucks
The following vehicles must use County Road 26 (for more information visit the County Road 26 Detour Information webpage):
- All Class A motorhomes
- Larger Class C motorhomes
- Semi-trucks
- Commercial buses
- Pickup trucks with a gooseneck trailer or a 5th-wheel camper or trailer
US 50 Lake Fork Bridge
The US 50 Lake Fork Bridge is open daily from 6 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. with pilot car operations and alternating traffic. Extended flagging operations occur from 11:30 pm. to 6 a.m. seven days a week on the Lake Fork Bridge. Motorists should anticipate longer waits during these overnight operations. All legal loads and bicycles are permissible, but no overweight loads are currently allowed across the Lake Fork Bridge.
US 50 Bridges Opening Timeline
From approximately mid-October through November, the US 50 Middle Bridge is anticipated to open to all legal loads from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. for alternating one-way traffic. The bridge will be closed overnight from 10:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. for repair work. Work progress, weather and other factors may alter that date.
Local Access Route for Gunnison, Hinsdale & Montrose Counties
If you miss the times when the US 50 Middle Bridge is open and need to travel in the area, you may want to use the County Road 26 detour. The County Road 26 bypass is open multiple times per day in each direction for local public travel, which includes residents, business owners and those visiting the area. If possible, vehicles traveling through Colorado should utilize the alternate state highway detours to the north and south instead of County Road 26. To learn more about the County Road 26 schedule visit the County Road 26 Detour Information webpage.
Recommended Alternate Routes for US 50
The recommended detour route for through traffic (those not stopping in Montrose, Gunnison, Crested Butte, Hinsdale County or the surrounding areas) is via I-70 to the north or US 160 to the south. Access the recommended detour route on COtrip here. CDOT understands the inconvenience that this creates and is rapidly evaluating options to improve options for residents, businesses, and travelers on the western slope.
The northern route is 354 miles and requires approximately six hours of travel time. The southern route is 331 miles and requires nearly seven hours of travel time. CDOT and local partners are exploring whether it is feasible at this point in the season to clear local seasonal routes that may be able to significantly reduce the detour time for local travelers.
Resources for Information & Updates:
- Call 970-648-4423 for the US 50 Bridge Closure Hotline, it will be staffed 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. Monday through Friday; leave a voicemail for a call back at other times.
- You can email questions to [email protected].
- To sign up for text and or email updates on all Gunnison County roadwork messaging, please visit https://www.gunnisoncounty.org/list.aspx to select what updates you’d like to start receiving. For road updates, select for Travel Advisories from the List.
