The Port of Astoria will receive over $25 million in federal funding for the rehabilitation of Pier 2 in Uniontown, a major boost to one of the agency’s most significant pieces of infrastructure.

The funding is part of a package of $36 million from the U.S. Maritime Administration’s Port Infrastructure Development Program that will go to coastal ports in Oregon. The Port of Astoria is the recipient of the largest share of funding, with the Coquille Indian Tribe’s Ko’Kwel Wharf and the Port of Newport also receiving support.

Pier 2, which is home to Da Yang Seafood and Bornstein Seafoods, has become the Port’s top priority in recent years as a failing seawall and rotting decks increasingly threaten the entire structure. Over the summer, the Port received $1.2 million in funding from Business Oregon, the state’s economic development agency, for preconstruction costs.

“The elephant in the room has been even if we get through preconstruction, even if we get permitted, even if we complete the engineering and design work, how do we pay for it?” said Will Isom, the Port’s executive director. “Because we don’t have $20 million or $25 million sitting around to get the project done. We knew that we were going to need a large windfall probably at the federal level, and so we’ve been through multiple channels pursuing any opportunity we could.”

Isom said the Port had previously applied for funding through the federal infrastructure development program without success, and credited the decision this year to a wave of support from local and legislative leaders. Last spring, U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley and U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, as well as U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, wrote a letter to the Maritime Administration in favor of the Port’s application.

Merkley and Wyden, who are Oregon Democrats, announced the port investments on Wednesday with others in the congressional delegation.

“Pier 2 West in Astoria is crucial to the region’s economy, but the structure has been deteriorating over the years,” Bonamici, an Oregon Democrat who represents the North Coast, said in a statement. “I’m thrilled that the Port of Astoria will receive close to $25.3 million from USDOT to make overdue repairs to this essential infrastructure.”

Pier 2 contributes over $100 million to Clatsop County’s economy each year from seafood processing operations.

“We’ve long said that Pier 2 is our No. 1 priority in terms of infrastructure, and I’ve called it the lifeblood of the Port,” Isom said. “And it really is. If that pier were to go away, the Port of Astoria wouldn’t exist as we know it and the impact on the region would be significant.”

The Port had previously applied for smaller grant amounts, but this year, staff decided to request the full amount required for the rehabilitation of Pier 2 — a request that was funded in full.

“You get news like that, and I was a bit speechless just because of the size of the award and the fact that it was funded at the level of our request,” Isom said. “And it really creates some light at the end of the tunnel here, knowing that now we have the funding mechanism in place.

“Obviously, there’s a lot of work to be done here. We know that. But this was a giant piece that, up until yesterday, we didn’t exactly know how we were going to resolve.”