Highway 97 median project to close lanes

Workers under contract with Knife River Corp. will be closing the north and southbound fast lanes on the Highway 97 Lava Butte project starting Monday for installation of the median barrier, ODOT reported Friday.

These lanes will be closed 24 hours a day for the duration of the installation project. ODOT highway managers anticipate that the work will take about three weeks to complete.

Motorists need to be aware that this restriction will likely cause congestion and are being asked to plan accordingly.

When completed, the $6 million project will have widened the highway and installed a new concrete median safety barrier, extending the current barrier from Lava Butte to Bend’s southern city limits. (There will be a gap in the barrier permitting traffic to enter the High Desert Museum.)

Once completed, the median barrier will reduce serious cross-over crashes, officials said.

The project is expected to be completed by the end of October.