| Middle Bridge project shifts into high gear, Kebler Pass opens
Next week will begin a pivotal time for the Middle Bridge project. With materials arriving in a few days, the project shifts into high gear as the Colorado Department of Transportation aims to resume limited traffic over the bridge by the beginning of July. Project materials, specifically the steel plates required to repair the bridge spanning Blue Mesa Reservoir, will arrive late next week. By that time, crews will have set up the required scaffolding on the bridge needed to perform the repairs. The following week, beginning June 10, work will begin, with crews working both day and night. According to CDOT, as well Kiewit Infrastructure, the contractor handling the project, the plan is to begin allowing limited traffic on the bridge during these repairs, tentatively by July 4; the exact schedule of when to reopen to limited traffic is still being determined. After reopening the bridge to limited traffic, phase two of the project begins. Completion of the second phase — which will allow for full loads on the bridge — is expected to wrap up by this fall.
Kebler Pass reopens
Currently, traversing between Montrose and Gunnison requires travelers to use County Road 26. Throughout the day, several scheduled caravans, traveling both east and west along the route, make use of this alternative route, which adds about an hour onto the trip.
Beginning this weekend, however, there will be a new Middle Bridge-workaround option: Kebler Pass. Kebler Pass, also know as Gunnison County Road 12, opened Friday afternoon. This high mountain pass is situated at an elevation of 10,007 feet. Gunnison County Public Works, with assistance from Montrose County and the CDOT, has been working to clear snow, install culverts, remove fallen trees, grade the surface and apply gravel and magnesium chloride to enhance road safety to prepare the route for public use. While Kebler Pass is opening, restrictions will be in place: no vehicles more than 30,000 pounds or longer than 50 feet will be allowed on the road, and vehicles transporting hazardous materials are also prohibited. For further information, check https://www.gunnisoncounty.org/
Have a Good One,
Jeremy Morrison, managing editor
jeremym@montrosepress.com
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