TRAVEL ALERT: Highway 50 closed indefinitely due to safety concerns caused by cracking

GUNNISON, Colo. (KKCO) - A bridge over Blue Mesa Reservoir along Highway 50 has failed, forcing an indefinite closure of the highway.

As of 5:22 p.m, local authorities clarified that the closure is in place to perform “repairs for bridge integrity. At 6 p.m., CDOT stated in a press release that the closure is due to safety concerns caused by cracking in the bridge.

“The Colorado Department of Transportation is closing the bridge at the urging of the Federal Highway Administration and state bridge engineering experts due to the findings of an ongoing safety inspection, which identified anomalies in the bridge on Thursday, April 18.”

CDOT recommends detouring north to I-70 or south to Highway 160. The closure adds six to seven hours to most destinations accessible through Highway 50 from western Colorado.

The full extent of the closure stretches over Blue Mesa Reservoir from mile marker 136 to mile marker 140, roughly 18 miles west of Gunnison.

Authorities ask for travelers to avoid calling 911 or dispatch for the road closure.

Story by Kacie Sinton - Grand Junction - Montrose KKCO