The months-long bridge closure that’s left Gunnison cut off from a vital highway to the Montrose area is set to end. The bridge over Blue Mesa Reservoir is slated for a limited reopening Wednesday, July 3, just ahead of the holiday weekend.
Blue Mesa Middle Bridge has been closed since April 18, when cracks were discovered in the steel. With the first phase of the repairs done, the Colorado Department of Transportation had hoped to reopen the bridge before Independence Day. Now they say emergency and smaller vehicles can start crossing over the bridge at 6:30 a.m.
From July 3 to July 7, the bridge will be open 12 hours a day, from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Starting July 8, the bridge will have morning and evening openings, from 6:30 to 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
This is a “huge deal” for locals in the Gunnison area, explained Mayor Pro Tem Marisela Ballesteros.
“It impacts so many different kinds of community members, whether it's residential people or whether it is a business that's being impacted, and tourists as well, who are wanting to come,” she said.
When she first heard about the closure, Ballesteros was in a state of disbelief and shock, which then turned to worry when she realized she wouldn’t be able to see her grandmother in Montrose as often.
Without the bridge, workers, students and even emergency services were cut off.
It was a scary situation, “but it was so beautiful to see so many people rally together and kind of understand that this is something out of our control,” Ballesteros said.
As residents made a point to shop locally and help one another, state and local officials also pushed for solutions.
The National Park Service began ferrying isolated students to school before CDOT crews were finally able to reopen County Highway 26, a seasonal and slow alternative known as the Lake City Cutoff. And by the end of May, the dirt road over Kebler Pass reopened, providing further relief. These routes will remain open, and County Highway 26 is the required detour for large vehicles, including RVs, pickup trucks pulling trailers, buses and semis.
Even as the bridge is poised to reopen, Ballesteros imagines the sense of togetherness created during the isolation will continue, especially among local businesses.
“We’ll support each other in recouping and welcoming tourists,” she said, adding that she knows things won’t be back to normal right away. “This affected a lot of people, so it'll take some time for people to just get back on track.”
