The U.S. 50 bridge over Blue Mesa Reservoir, a key connecting route in western Colorado, is scheduled to re-open for all traffic starting Oct. 16, state transportation officials announced Friday. Related Articles Colorado News | Denver’s 16th Street Mall shuttles are about to resume — at least partially Colorado News | I-70 reopens in both directions near Idaho Springs after rock scaling closure Colorado News | Interstate 25 reopens in both directions near Lone Tree after “police activity” Colorado News | DIA opens 14 “ground-boarding” gates Colorado News | Ballot Issue 7A would allow the Regional Transportation District to keep tax money A single lane on the bridge will open 24 hours a day. Final reconstruction activities, necessary before resuming two-way travel, will be done at night between 11:30 p.m. and 6 a.m., Colorado Department of Transportation spokeswoman Stacia Sellers said. Late-night travelers can expect delays, she said. Travel will be piloted across the bridge in each direction. Travel over this bridge has been disrupted since April, when state and federal transportation inspectors found problems, including a crack through a steel girder near the middle of the bridge. Repair work also encompassed the Lake Fork Bridge on U.S. 50, which was built using the same steel in the early 1960s and a method that engineers subsequently deemed faulty. Western Colorado residents rely heavily on U.S. 50, which links Gunnison and Montrose. Closures along U.S. 50 forced drivers to take detours that added up to seven hours of travel time. The bridge opening next week will end pilot car operations along Gunnison County Road 26, CDOT officials said. That road will stay open and can serve as a local alternate route in the coming months as weather conditions allow, officials said. Get more Colorado news by signing up for our Mile High Roundup email newsletter.