With the completion of the Pierce County Terminal project - the largest in its history - the Port of Tacoma in Washington state says it is a ‘growing gateway’ for containerized cargo on the West Coast.

The move toward offshore manufacturing in Asia has drastically increased port activity on the West Coast. With a daily stream of containers arriving from the other side of the Pacific, port space has become hot property.

According to Mike Adams, director of engineering and chief engineer at the Port of Tacoma, the port's land availability has made it a sought-after facility for shipping companies today.

In 2002, the Evergreen line, which previously occupied the port's terminal 3-4, needed a larger space to accommodate its growth. This expansion took the form of the new Pierce County Terminal at the port. Construction finished in fall of 2004. As the largest project ever completed at the port, the Pierce County Terminal is an important accomplishment, Adams says. The terminal is also the largest single-container terminal north of Los Angeles.

As program manager for the project, the Port of Tacoma initially divided it into four large areas - pier/marine, yard, rail and buildings - and contracted design firms for each. They were: KPFF of Seattle for the pier/marine work, Moffitt and Nichols of Seattle for the yard, Jacobs Engineers of Bellevue, Wash., for the rail systems, and Helix Architecture of Fife, Wash., for the buildings.

On Time, Under Budget
Construction began in the summer of 2003 with three major contractors: The pier/marine work was done as a joint venture by Manson and Trayler Brothers of Southern California. Icon Construction of Tukwila, Wash., completed the yard and rail work - a $50 million portion of the project. The buildings were constructed by Porter Brothers of Edgewood, Wash.

When the facility was turned over to Evergreen in October 2004, it was both on time and under budget, Adams says. He says the project was a success because of the knowledgeable and dedicated people involved, as well as the completion of rigorous design reviews.

“We put together a terrific port management team,” he emphasizes. “We had 14 people who were knowledgeable in design and construction. We also had excellent consultants and contractors.”

The port performed design reviews at the 30, 60 and 90 percent completion levels. “These were two-day affairs,” Adams explains. “We invited the engineering consultants to review every set of plans and specs and to give us written comments.”

'Three Wise Men'
“As part of that design-review process,” Adams continues, “we found three longtime port consultants - gentlemen who had spent many years working in the industry. They were Bob Malick of Berger-ABAM, Tom Seaman of Sitts & Hill and John Fiedler from Northwest Utility Consultants.

“They were all retired or semi-retired and had spent years at the port. They were invaluable assets throughout the process. We called them the 'three wisemen.'”

Adams says the project was ultimately a success because the port, and all the companies involved, were able to complete it on time, under budget and with a low number of change orders.

Making Waves
As Adams explains, the port continues to work toward expansion and meeting the demand for terminal space. “There isn't a lot of land available for ports on the West Coast,” he says.

Indeed, the Port of Tacoma is currently working on a partnership with the Puyallup Tribe to jointly develop a 300-acre terminal.

Located near I-5, the major north/south link on the West Coast, the port is able to easily serve customers, Adams says. “We offer superb intermodal connections,” he says.

“We also have served the Burlington Northern Santa Fe and Union Pacific rail lines for quite some time. With 51-foot water depths, we can handle the largest container ships afloat these days.”

He says the port is flexible enough to meet its customers' needs. For instance, when Evergreen moved out of Terminal 3-4, another customer was able to double its terminal size, he says

'Growing Gateway'
“We are meeting the growth needs of our customers' shipping lines,” he notes. “We try to work with our customers in sizing the terminals properly and getting things done on their timeframes and on their schedules.

“In 2003, we finished a $12 million renovation for Totem Ocean Trailer Express, which runs two roll-on/roll-off ships to Anchorage, while it continued to operate.”

With its land availability, attention to customers, convenient location and hardworking labor force, the Port of Tacoma is a “growing gateway” for containerized cargo, Adams says. In 2004, the port reports, it handled nearly 1.8 million 20-foot equivalent units. Foreign containers accounted for more than 1.2 million of those. As of February, its year-to-date cargo volume had grown by nearly 14 percent compared to the same period in 2004.