LA PINE, OR -- The Oregon Department of Transportation has finished taking apart the partially constructed overcrossing at Wickiup Junction. ODOT has been working with the city of La Pine for nearly a decade to improve safety at the intersection, where Highway 97 crosses the railroad tracks.

ODOT’s Peter Murphy tells KBND News that while the overcrossing project is dead, the quest to find solutions moves forward, "What we’re going to be doing is continuing to analyze what could be done in the Wickiup Junction area, and make further improvements. We’re hiring a consultant who will specifically look at that intersection down there and help us make recommendations for where to go in the future."

ODOT had hoped to an overcrossing would take highway vehicles over the tracks. But, the $17 million dollar project was halted in 2017 when engineers discovered it was being built on unstable ground caused by an ancient lake bed. 

Photo: A partially constructed overcrossing, seen in 2017, prior to the discovery of unstable ground underneath the massive structure.