The Cowlitz Indian Tribe has secured financing from the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority for construction of a $550 million casino-resort on its 152-acre reservation near La Center.

The Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority, an instrument of the Connecticut-based Mohegan Tribe of Indians, announced Monday it had closed the deal with the Cowlitz Trial Gaming Authority, an entity owned by the Cowlitz Indian Tribe.

“We are very pleased to announce that the CTGA has closed on its casino construction financing,” Robert J. Soper, president and CEO of the gaming authority, stated in a press release. “This is a monumental step both for the Cowlitz Tribe and for the Authority as developer and manager, as we can now proceed with the development of what we believe will be the finest and most successful resort in the Pacific Northwest.”

The casino is expected to be open to the public in mid-2017, Soper said.

The Mohegan Tribe is a federally recognized tribe with a 595-acre reservation in southeast Connecticut. It owns the Mohegan Sun casino complex in Connecticut and the Mohegan Sun Pocono casino in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.