For many people, warm weather means barbecues, swimming and enjoying the beautiful scenery of the Pacific Northwest. For the Port of Vancouver USA, warm weather means construction season! This year, we have a slew of projects that will help us increase efficiency on the terminal and make room for major future projects. 

Terminal Operations Building –Relocation

Our terminal operations building currently houses three port employees who oversee operation of our busy marine terminal, longshore personnel and one tenant. The new building includes office space, a conference room, restrooms and a staff break area. The new building is being constructed southwest of its former location to make way for rail expansion as part of the West Vancouver Freight Access Project. This project is expected to be complete early fall of 2016. 

Gear Locker – Relocation

The gear lockers on the port’s terminals are used by longshore workers to maintain equipment and store tools and vehicles that help them perform their work. The port is relocating one of these buildings just west of the Gateway Avenue overpass to create room for future construction and rail expansion projects. The project is expected to be complete this fall. 

Dockworker Support Building

A dockworker support building was recently demolished to allow for infrastructure improvements for the West Vancouver Freight Access Project and relocation of port tenants. Construction is underway to replace the building, which includes restrooms and a lunch room for marine terminal workers. The project is expected to be complete this summer. 

Terminal 4 – Stage 2 Improvements

One of the biggest projects on the terminal right now is the Terminal 4 – Stage 2 improvement project, which will benefit both the port and our tenant, Subaru of America. The improvements include widening Harborside Drive to provide safer access in and out of the port, and connecting the two first-place-of-rest lots. This project completes Subaru’s first-place-of-rest relocation by making all areas in its leasehold accessible within the secure area of the port and providing clear and continuous access to all parking stalls. This project also relocates property boundaries, which will increase laydown space for the port while maintaining full capacity in Subaru’s first place of rest. Additionally, the project creates new access for tenant Cal Portland to their current leasehold through the construction and paving of Riverside Drive. The project is expected to be complete this summer. 

Future construction

While these four projects take shape on the port’s terminal, there are several more slated for construction later this year. They include new rail tracks and a wider rail corridor through the port as part of the West Vancouver Freight Access Project, a new pole shed and a new industrial building in our Centennial Industrial Park.

Many of our projects aren’t visible from public areas around the port, but they all add up to help us meet our mission of providing economic benefit to our community through marine, industrial and waterfront development.