Limits placed on truck traffic over historic Colorado bridge
The Colorado Department of Transportation announced Monday that load restrictions will be placed on a mountain highway bridge that is a registered National Historic Landmark.
The bridge is located outside the town of Red Cliff on U.S. 24 between Minturn and Leadville. It was built in 1941.
Corrosion has caused parts of the steel to thin, according to CDOT. The span will be limited to vehicles carrying no more than 34 or 37 tons -- a difference in loads that is determined by the design classification and number of axles. The limits begin in late August.
The thinning steel was detected during a regular bi-annual inspection in 2020.
"There are no safety concerns for passenger vehicles or commercial trucks carrying typical loads," CDOT stated in a press release. "These prudent load restrictions are intended to extend the bridge's lifespan while CDOT plans for a rehabilitation project with the goal of removing the load restriction in the future. The reduced load limit is expected to affect only a small number of larger trucks crossing the US 24 bridge."
Loads exceeding the new limit will be rerouted to a detour alongside U.S. 24, and also to Interstate 70 and State Highway 91.
Construction started on the bridge in 1940 with workers hanging 200 feet above the Eagle River and railroad tracks, often in subzero temperatures. When it opened a year later, it became the second steel-framed arch in the state and the second highest in elevation behind the Royal Gorge Bridge.
The bridge eliminated a precarious 1.8-mile stretch of mountain road and completed the final hard surface for the full length of U.S. 24.
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
A $3.6 million renovation project was undertaken in 2004, replacing and widening the concrete deck and repainting the frame.