Little Blue Creek Canyon project to resume in May

Work will continue through summer

By Katherine Nettles

Construction activity is tentatively scheduled to resume next month on the extensive road improvement project on US 50 along Little Blue Creek Canyon between Gunnison and Montrose, but a specific date has not yet been confirmed, according to project communication coordinators. The project took a hiatus from all construction beginning December 20, 2023. 

All nighttime full roadway closures ceased for the remainder of winter and could resume sometime in May, according to the Federal Highway Administration and the Colorado Department of Transportation, the entities managing the four-mile highway improvement project. 

Kathleen Wanatowicz, public information manager for the project, said all of the major work on the project is complete, including excavation, rock work and the retaining walls. She said the next items on the “punch list” are smaller items such as paving and putting up guard rails.

She estimated these items could take another two to three months at minimum to finish up.  

When construction resumes, hopefully there will be no scheduled full roadway closures at night, and only limited one-way alternating traffic closures scheduled on an as-needed basis, according to  Wanatowicz.

More information and a project overview can be found at https://www.us50info.com.