Wickiup Junction overpass to be dismantled soon

The failed Wickiup Junction overpass project in La Pine is set to be taken apart in the next few months.

ODOT spokesperson Peter Murphy said Monday the agency is deciding on a contractor to take down the sinking girders that were supposed to hold up the overpass.

The contractor will be chosen some time in early June.

“Just the girders are going to be removed. So the walls that are in place are going to remain where they are,” Murphy said. “And then we will also work with the railroad to make sure that whenever we get in there works for them, too. Because they are our partners in this project, and so that’s kind of how the process will unfold.”

Last fall, ODOT announced that soft soil in an unforeseen ancient lake bed would prompt dismantling of the mostly complete $17 million project. The work was suspended a year ago after tests showed the ramps leading to the bridge were stalling at an unusual rate. ODOT hired a third-party engineering firm to study the problem.

ODOT has been sending people out to the site to check on it periodically, as they make sure it’s still safe, and the process of removing the girders can begin.

Murphy said the hope is that removal can begin some time in September.