/ Port of Vancouver USA Awarded $18 Million to Strengthen Berth 8 Cargo Infrastructure 

November 12, 2026

The Columbia River is already a critical link in the nation’s supply chain, but a recently awarded grant will help strengthen this connection.    

In late October, the Port of Vancouver USA learned it had successfully secured an $18 million federal Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) grant.  

Along with $12 million in port funds, this $30 million project will upgrade the port’s Berth 8 shipping dock, bolstering the region’s ability to export U.S. goods around the world as well as import vital cargo.  

Originally constructed in the 1970s, the Berth 8 dock has become less efficient for effectively handling cargo from increasingly large commercial vessels that utilize the Columbia River. With this grant, the port will initiate an infrastructure project to improve the berth’s cargo handling capacity, efficiency and safety. Improvements will include: 

• Strengthening of the dock with fiber-reinforced polymer, increasing the dock area that can support heavy cargo operations. 

• Closing an 18,000 square foot open panel on the dock, further enabling the efficient movement of heavier cargo.  

• Relocating and retrofitting two mobile harbor cranes that will utilize the 48,510 square feet of upgraded dock space.  

• Installing a guardrail around a nearby open panel on Berth 9, improving lighting in the area and other safety upgrades.  

“Investments in core port infrastructure are truly transformative to ports that serve as their regions’ economic engines,” said Julianna Marler, port CEO. “We’re thankful that Senators Murray and Cantwell, Representative Gluesenkamp Perez and other members of Washington’s congressional delegation championed this funding and recognize the important role the Port of Vancouver USA plays in generating good jobs locally and strengthening our nation’s economic security.”