Workers have begun dismantling the Columbia Park Marina ahead of the removal of the causeway connecting Bateman Island to the Richland shoreline. 

The city has closed the western section of the parking lot at Columbia Park West and a portion of the multi-use trail heading toward Wye Park as part of the deconstruction, according to a release. The removal of the marina is anticipated to take two months. 

Efforts to remove the causeway have been ongoing for years and were solidified last fall by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The causeway blocks the flow of the Yakima River into the Columbia River on the north side of the island, creating water quality and temperature issues for migrating salmon. 

Water currents are expected to be too strong for the marina, which sits just downstream of the island, once the causeway is removed. The marina’s owners closed it this spring.