X’s and O’s Delay Highway Traffic Flow

LEABURG: A routine roadwork project took an unexpected turn last Tuesday afternoon when an imported crew of Oregon Dept. of Transportation (ODOT) workers reportedly paused operations to engage in what witnesses are calling “an ambitious, full-scale game of tic-tac-toe using heavy machinery.”

According to on-site sources, ODOT workers used traffic cones to mark out a massive grid across a closed passing lane, while chalk lines and hand signals helped guide the placement of game pieces. An excavator was allegedly used to position oversized “X” markers, while a roller “firmly established” several “O” placements.

“We just wanted to settle it once and for all,” said one worker. “Our break-time tic-tac-toes hand held games kept ending in arguments. This felt… more official.”

Motorists passing the site slowed in confusion as the match unfolded in real time.

“I saw a backhoe move into position and thought, ‘Okay, normal,'” said one driver. “Then another guy starts directing it like he’s placing a move. That’s when I realized – I think they’re playing a board game.”

Witnesses reported the match drew increasing attention, with at least three drivers pulling over to watch what appeared to be a strategic standoff in the center square.

“It was intense,” said another observer. “They were clearly experienced players.”

The game came to an abrupt end when a supervisor arrived and surveyed the scene.

“Why,” Fred Freed reportedly asked after a long pause, “is there a 40-foot tic-tac-toe board on my highway?”

Moments later, a radio call from upper ODOT management referenced “unauthorized recreational grid formation,” prompting an immediate return to standard operations.

Within minutes, the cones were reconfigured, the equipment resumed its intended use, and the game – believed to have been one move away from yet another draw – was abandoned.

Officials declined to confirm whether the crew from Portland or local workers were winning, but reiterated that highway equipment is to be used “strictly for transportation infrastructure purposes, not competitive gaming.”

Still, for a brief moment on that stretch of Hwy. 126, the line between work and play blurred – on a scale rarely seen.

As of this week’s press time for River Reflections, no rematch had been scheduled.