Work begins on new WVFA rail entrance

Written by Jenifer Nunez, assistant editor
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Port of Vancouver USA

Project 16 of the West Vancouver Freight Access (WVFA) Project, a new rail entrance at the Port of Vancouver USA in Washington state, will begin work by the end of August and is scheduled to be completed by February 28, 2013.

The new rail entrance located adjacent to Lafarge North America will bring a rail line into the port that will travel below the BNSF and Union Pacific’s north/south mainline on the Columbia River Rail Bridge. This configuration along the banks of the river is said to prevent port-bound rail from blocking the north/south rail line, while increasing the efficiency of rail movement into and out of the port.

Early stages of construction include building a pile supported, watertight trench, which will support the concrete foundation for trains that will travel into the port, including the expanding rail yard corridor.

Methods, including vibratory placement, have been chosen to drive piles into the ground in an effort to minimize audio impacts to neighbors and wildlife.

The advancement of Project 16 is a milestone in the WVFA project and in Vancouver’s ever-changing waterfront.

The WVFA project is an effort by the Port of Vancouver USA to create jobs and generate revenue by investing in freight rail infrastructure. Projected to reduce current delays in rail traffic by as much as 40 percent, the project is expected to lower costs for U.S. manufacturers and farmers, making them more competitive in global markets.

Divided into 20 project elements, the WVFA project includes construction of a new dual carrier rail access into the port, enhancement of the port’s internal rail system, relocation of port facilities and utilities to accommodate track realignment and improvements to port roadways; all of which are aimed at accommodating growth of existing operations and attracting future private-sector development.

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