The Port of Quincy has begun Phase 1 of an infrastructure project to expand its Intermodal Terminal in Quincy, Washington State. 

The project involves adding more gravel surface to the east and north portions of the terminal to accommodate the increasing growth in ocean container freight (including frozen and dry agricultural products from central/eastern Washington) going by truck from the Port of Quincy to the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma.

The Intermodal Terminal expansion project will be completed in two phases. Phase 1 will include improvements to the Intermodal Terminal container storage area by providing additional gravel surfacing of 90,000 square feet for the storage of containers in the north and east portions of the terminal. The work will include installing 8,000 tons of compacted crushed heavy surfacing granular material. 

The estimated project cost of Phase 1 is approximately $300,000, with the Port of Quincy providing the funding. The Port anticipates completing the design before the end of 2019 and then completing Phase 1 of the Intermodal Terminal expansion in early 2020. 

Phase 2 will include improvements to the electrical and lighting systems within the Intermodal Terminal. The work will include installing three additional reefer power units/receptacles for the storage of an additional 30 refrigerated containers within the terminal along with additional LED floodlights.  

The estimated project cost of Phase 2 will be approximately $400,000, and the Port of Quincy will be requesting assistance in the form of a government grants.

The Intermodal Terminal is located on the BNSF mainline (Stevens Pass line) and is currently providing truck intermodal export services for shippers and exporters in Washington State. The number of containers being stored and loaded at the terminal has increased dramatically in the past three years.

Additionally, the terminal has over 8,000 feet of rail storage/siding tracks and could accommodate loading westbound short-haul intermodal trains with 20 or 40 foot containers of dry and perishable Washington State agricultural products. It also has a top pick container loader and a shuttle yard goat (a small locomotive) to move and organize stacked containers within the terminal. There is nearly one million square feet of warehousing in close proximity to the Intermodal Terminal to provide shippers with distribution, cross-dock and storage capacity in and out of central Washington.

In 2017, the NW Seaport Alliance provided a presentation to stakeholders in Washington indicating an inland port would offer the following benefits:

• Congestion on major roadways and mountain passes would be reduced as the number of truck trips per day would decrease to/from the Puget Sound.• Containers could be moved with more speed and reliability while lowering the carbon footprint of exports via rail.• Containers could be spotted closer to the shippers, with 24/7 availability of picking up or dropping containers in a secured yard.• It would attract new investments in warehousing facilities and other industries supporting the agriculture market.• Turn times could be improved so that exporters would be able to ship more product overseas because marine terminals would be less congested.

Source: Maritime Executive