It’s been more than a decade since the Port of Vancouver USA, its partners and the community first broke ground on the West Vancouver Freight Access project (WVFA), and a recently approved project is now clearing the way for substantial completion in 2018.

On Aug. 9 the port’s Board of Commissioners awarded a $13.3 million contract to Vancouver, Washington-based Rotschy Inc. for WFVA Project 7—Rail Dry Bulk Track Improvements and Facility Relocation. This contract constructs a new rail dry bulk unloading facility for port tenant Kinder Morgan. The new facility will have capabilities for top- and bottom-unloading, making it accessible for many types of commodities.

Construction on Project 7 began mid-August and is expected to be complete in late 2017.

Completion of this new structure will allow Kinder Morgan to continue operations while the final scheduled WVFA project, Project 11B, is underway.

Project 11B – scheduled for construction in 2017 – will demolish the existing rail dry bulk unloading facility and make improvements to nearby rail corridor, improving efficiencies, increasing capacity and making room for future expansion of the port’s rail corridor and infrastructure.

The 21-project, $250 million WVFA eliminated a major rail chokepoint on the West Coast, reducing regional rail congestion by up to 40 percent. These improvements help support regional business and job growth, and keep US businesses competitive in the global market.