MISSION — When the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation started shutting down operations across the reservation to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Wildhorse CEO Gary George grew concerned that the resort and casino’s $85 million expansion might be affected.

It turns out those concerns were unfounded, as contractor Lydig Construction has been able to continue construction with little in the way of work stoppages.

During a tour of the construction site, Gary Alger, an assistant superintendent for Lydig who once managed the Wildhorse golf course, said crews initially ran into some supply chain problems due to COVID-19, but Lydig was able to right the ship by quickly switching up material suppliers.

The pandemic did introduce some new safety measures, like more handwashing stations and a sign-in sheet for contact tracing purposes. But work has gone on virtually unabated.

Alger said the expansion is on track for its original September completion date, and could even get done earlier should the swift pace of construction persist.

During the June 5 tour, Alger showed off where the 24-lane bowling alley — subcontractors are currently laying down the hardwood — arcade, and food court will be located.

The expansion will reconfigure some of the existing entrances for the casino and cineplex, and new behind-the-scenes passages are being built to bus snacks and meals from the food court to the bowling lanes.

George said the food court will likely include burger, Asian, and fish restaurants. The latter will be a new location for Brigham Fish Market, a Cascade Locks restaurant run by a CTUIR family.

The Brigham family has fished the Columbia River for generations, but CTUIR Board of Trustees Chair Kat Brigham said her children will be responsible for running the new Wildhorse location.