A narrow man-made bridge in the Tri-Cities leads to an island that’s popular with local walkers, anglers and birders. Now, construction crews are preparing to remove it.
The day before crews fenced off the Bateman Island causeway, at least 33 people and six dogs had wandered across the bridge to stroll around the island. That’s a lot for this small island that’s not often busy this time of year.
Pasco resident Scott Hines and his dog, Biscuit, took in the views of nature.
“We saw deer tracks, and we saw a blue heron,” Hines said. “Right up along the shore up there.”
On the short, chilly walk around the island, people reminisced about seeing herds of deer and enjoying a quick stroll into a natural area, just minutes from a congested mall and highways.
The 550-foot causeway was built around 1940, unauthorized at the time, according to Washington Fish and Wildlife leaders. It has allowed people to walk to Bateman Island. It’s also jammed up salmon migration and created poor water conditions at the mouth of the Yakima River. Biologists say getting rid of this one causeway could be a big boon for salmon.
“Removing the causeway is going to improve the flows around the south end of the island, allowing both the cooler water of the Columbia River and the Yakima River to mix and improve those conditions,” Mike Livingston, the south-central regional director for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, said in an earlier interview with Northwest Public Broadcasting.
The area used to be home to a Yakama Nation village site, where tribes traded and fished at the confluence of the Columbia and Yakima rivers.
Now, warm, stagnant waters have killed dozens of fish, including a recent event in 2024 that killed over 70 salmon. It also has created ideal conditions for mosquitos and stargrass. Predatory birds and non-native fish also easily prey on salmon swimming through this area.
City of Richland leaders have also raised concerns about people setting up encampments on the island and several fires that have started in recent years.
When the causeway is gone, people can still swim, paddle or boat to the island. That’s Hines' plan.
“We have a boat. We might come out here later,” he said.
It will be up to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide boat access to the island. For now, the agency hasn’t made plans to build another bridge.
