CLARKSTON - A popular boat ramp in Asotin County used by anglers and hunters accessing Hells Canyon will close for two days during the last full week of September.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's (WDFW) Heller Bar boat ramp will be under construction from Sept. 23-27 and will be closed on Sept. 24 and 25. One of the ramp's two lanes will remain open during the rest of the work window.

Project engineers tried to keep one of the two ramps open at the WDFW-owned facility, but the work scope demanded a brief closure.

"Broken concrete sections underwater at the bottom of the ramps could cause severe damage to boat trailers," said Bob Dice, manager for WDFW's Blue Mountains Wildlife Areas. "Fixing this now during very low water allows our work crew access and gets the problem fixed before water levels and the steelhead season pick up."

A WDFW construction crew will remove broken concrete planks and replace them with 11 feet of cabled concrete blocks that will extend across the bottom of the entire ramp.

"The ramp repair is part of a larger effort to improve overall safety and general conditions at the Heller Bar water access area," said Steve Sherlock, statewide access coordinator for WDFW. "Other future improvements planned for this site include expansion of boat launching opportunities, new signs, and an information kiosk."