The Columbia Press 8 June 24, 2022 What’s Oregon Department of Transportation doing on Highway 101 in Warrenton? The orange cones and traffic disruptions have been hard to miss by anyone who does much driving through town. The work is part of a long- planned $4.6 million im- provement project that runs from Youngs Bay Bridge to Neptune Drive (Fred Meyer). Already crews have re- placed guardrails on the bridge causeway. Beginning Sunday night, a three-week bridge closure Sundays through Thursdays between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. will facili- tate other work. Highway 101 will be resur- faced and restored and crews will put in upgraded traffic signs, apply new stripes, re- place signal sensors, make the area handicapped acces- sible, and replace the traffic signal at the intersection near the Fred Meyer gas pumps. Need commercial land? Speaking of Fred Meyer, the Port of Astoria may sell a large parcel of land across Highway 101 from the gro- cery outlet. At Tuesday afternoon’s port commission meeting, mem- bers agreed to put the item on a future agenda after re- ceiving a recommendation from its finance committee to sell the land. The 11.56 acres is zoned commercial-industrial and has a real market value of $3.27 million, accord- ing to the Clatsop Coun- ty Assessor’s Office. Boat repair opens Marlin Highway 101 work Nept une Business and development tidbits Harbor Drive Fred Meyer A new boat mainte- 1 nance shop is set to 10 Port’s y land a open at the Hammond hw g Marina. Hi Joshua Massett, a li- Airport censed and bonded ma- rine mechanic, plans to open July 1. Massett has more “I wanted to solve the big- than 20 years of experience in gest problem in boat main- the industry. tenance: everyone is wait- ing,” Massett said. “Folks are ready to go boating, fishing, crabbing and waterskiing, and they don’t want to wait weeks or months for an ap- pointment. So I decided to stick to maintenance only, allowing me to keep a steady flowing shop that serves ev- ery guest quickly.” He’ll accept a limited num- ber of boats for service during the 2022-23 season. To reach Massett or set up an appointment, call 206- 537-3227. Klaskanine River Bridge Traffic on Youngs River Road will be detoured begin- ning June 27 when Clatsop County Public Works launch- es an upgrade of the Klas- kanine River Bridge. The 66-year-old bridge is on Highway 202 near the salm- on hatchery. It will be de- molished and replaced with a new structure. The project is expected to be finished in summer 2023. The age and condition of the existing bridge, which has a wooden substructure, made full replacement the most cost-effective option, according to the county. The new bridge will be concrete and cost $2.54 million. Area traffic will be able to use Olney Lane cut-off as an alternate connection between Youngs River Road and High- way 202.