Prep work is on pace for placing a temporary bridge over the sinkhole on the Colorado 133 roadway, according to CDOT. Crews are working on the engineering of the temporary bridge for commuters traveling between Paonia and Carbondale. This process usually takes up to four months, but crews are expediting due to the emergency need for a temporary bridge as soon as possible. As of last week, Delta County Commissioner says there’s challenges with water level inconsistencies.
Once engineering is complete and approved, crews will mobilize to assemble and attach the temporary bridge. Parts are anticipated to arrive the first week of June and permanent repairs to the damaged section of CO 133 are expected to begin once the temporary bridge is installed. Once the temporary bridge is in place and the highway is safely reopened for the traveling public, there will be a lowered speed limit of 40 mph. Local commuters have been using Fire Mountain Road, but according to Suppes…
For now, travelers who are not residents in the area are encouraged to use COtrip.org for planning an alternate route around the area. Motorists traveling to the Colorado Highway 82 (Roaring Fork Valley) or Interstate 70 can detour around the closure via US Highway 50 and I-70. All real-time travel impacts will continue to be posted to COtrip.org
According to statistics from Feeding America, in Colorado more than a half a million people are facing hunger. This means that 1 in 11 people and 1 in 10 children face hunger in our state each day. The Shepherd's Hand of Montrose served meals and provided food from their pantry to over 104,000 people last year. The local non-profit is making a big impact on the hungry and the unhoused in the community. To hear the full story, listen to last week’s Local Motion online at KVNF dot org. This story accompanies last week’s public affairs segment on how two nonprofits are tackling food insecurity and food waste in our region.