The video feed from Santiam Pass broadcast on BendBroadband channel 219 and over-the-air channel 48 will go dark later this month while the Oregon Department of Transportation installs a new camera.

Peter Murphy, spokesman for ODOT, said the camera replacement is scheduled for the week of Oct. 27, and could take up to two weeks. The still images seen on ODOT’s Tripcheck website will not be affected.

Murphy said crews will install a camera that can provide a digital feed to television providers, in place of the analogue feed camera that has been on the pass near Hoodoo Ski Area for several years. The camera at Santiam Pass is the oldest of the three ODOT cameras that provide video images of weather and traffic conditions — the other two are at Willamette Pass and Government Camp — and the only one still broadcasting an analogue signal.

“This one was old and needed to get fixed if we were going to continue to provide the service,” Murphy said.

Murphy said the new camera may provide a slightly higher quality images for viewers.

The camera network operated by ODOT began in District 4, Murphy said, the ODOT sub-region that covers roughly one-third of the state on the eastern side of the Cascade range. Originally intended as an aid to maintenance crews who needed up-to-date information on weather and traffic conditions on mountain passes, the system has been expanded to provide the same information to drivers across the state.

— Reporter: 541-383-0387, shammers@bendbulletin.com