Da Yang Seafood and Bornstein Seafoods operate at Pier 2 in Uniontown.

Emergency repairs could soon be underway at Pier 2 West.

For the last several years, the pier — which is home to Da Yang Seafood and Bornstein Seafoods — has been a top priority for the Port of Astoria due to significant structural concerns, including a failing seawall. In 2023, the Port received more than $25 million in federal funding to support a large-scale rehabilitation project. 

The project isn’t set to begin until late 2026 — but in the meantime, the Port is moving forward on smaller-scale repairs needed to keep operations going.

In February, PND Engineers performed an updated condition assessment and later determined that pile-supported portions of Pier 2 West were in critical condition. They recently recommended temporarily restricting the pier to light personnel loading until emergency repairs could be completed, and restricting vehicle traffic and storage on the pier’s deck.

On Tuesday, commissioners gave Port Director Will Isom the green light to finalize a contract with Bergerson Construction for repairs not to exceed $500,000. 

“The challenge here, obviously, is trying to keep the processors operational in the meantime in a way that’s safe, especially with some of the infrastructure failures you’ve seen on the water from the last few years,” Isom said. “That’s why we’re being overly cautious with this and getting the engineers out there and doing walkthroughs and just making sure that we’re not putting people at risk.”

The estimated cost to complete the work is $1 million. Deputy Director Matt McGrath said staff are actively looking to leverage state funding to fill the remaining $500,000 where they can. The emergency repairs, he added, are one small piece of the puzzle as the Port prepares for its larger scale project.

“Even if we had the $1 million right now, this is not going to fix the entirety of Pier Two West, just the corridors that have been outlined,” McGrath said.

Isom said work is likely to begin in late July or early August. Some areas will undergo repairs, while others that are more compromised will be barricaded off to restrict forklift and vehicle traffic.

“Obviously, our number one concern is the integrity of the structure and making sure it’s safe,” he said.