Blue Mesa Bridge (US-50) CLOSED Due To Safety Concerns

Thanks to MJD for posting this, I was just about to, you know, I come from Wisconsin, and while I complained a lot, they really have done a number on their roads. From the poorest when I was trucking, to one of the best. From my experience, Colorado clearly has their heads where the don't shine as far as their roads. This will impact many, just at the start of the tourist season, and anyone looking to bypass Denver, won't be able to. Colorado SORELY needs an E-W interstate in the middle of the state. In a state that is one of the richest in the country, I'm flabbergasted at what poor planning they have. Bunch of stoned officials in power? Maybe, but not bloody likely. More like denial? They have swanky lifestyles to uphold. I look at the fantastic interstate system, where did the money come from for that? This really is a kick in the knickers. Way to go, Colorado!

 

My trucker’s atlas says otherwise

 

If one is coming from the west going east and still want to get around Denver to go south, you can take Hy.24 off of I-70, drop down to 285, down to 50 in Poncha Springs, stop at McDs in Salida, give me a shout, I'll buy you lunch,( $5max) and take 50 east to I-25. Hy.24 to Leadville is no bargain either, but probably not much longer than the Hy.50 all the way, or their detour.

 

A five dollar lunch? Where are we eating, the Salvation Army?

Thanks for the routing.

 

Well, a cheeseburger and a cup of coffee, that used to be a buck, will get you to Pueblo, anyway. Retirement: supplies are limited,,

 

Why does I-70 not qualify, to you, as an east-west interstate smack dab in the middle of potheadville?

 

I used to haul Coal over that bridge in 1980. Sure have been a lot of elk drown in blue mesa Reservoir. Seem like it would take forever to get from Blue Mesa to Hotchkiss.

 

A little JB Weld and it's good to go.

 

I-70 is the pits through Glenwood Canyon, with constant closures, and Denver is pretty busy, with some of the worst air quality in the nation and road construction on I-25 to Colorado Springs is ongoing, with big delays. All I'm saying, is Wisconsin did their homework, I was mighty impressed with what they did around Madison. I heard many years ago, there was talk of an "I-50" across middle Colorado that never happened. And that's another thing, how come there is no I-50? If coming from the NW going south, many drivers take Hy.50 out of Montrose, to get around all that mess, and see some beautiful country, I might add. Why they ran I-70 through that canyon, and not to the north, I'll never understand, and why not drop south out of Montrose, and have an interstate east across no-mans land to I-25. I'm not sure "potheadville" is entirely accurate, whoever makes those decisions are straight people, squandering the pot money, that I read is way down lately, that I'm not sure what they are thinking. I guess they figure they have bigger problems. "NIMBYs" are probably their biggest hurdle.
All that aside, as far as the bridge cracking, and I don't know why I'm the only one, it seems, to think of this, but they are working on Little Blue Creek Canyon, just a few miles west of the bridge. I made the mistake of going that way last summer, and saw, they brought in some pretty big equipment. If coming from the east, and I'm sure a lot did, going around the bridge would consume a huge amount of time, especially with an oversized unit. It's like 5 minutes past the bridge, going around the bridge would take hours. You can't tell me, late at night, they dragged some 40 ton excavator and then some, over that bridge. I've done crazy things like that, because the boss man told me to. Like when the Minneapolis bridge went down, was I the only one who noticed, they had excavators, front end loaders, big piles of stones, dump trucks, equipment trailers, that like pallets and fuel, I suppose don't weigh anything. Combined with traffic, it was no surprise to me. Good luck all, and the "lunch" offer still stands.