wvfap16dp2a_20130828cThe port’s West Vancouver Freight Access Project 16 DP2A is officially underway with grubbing and clearing material for further construction. In addition, Rotschy, Inc. of Vancouver is driving vibratory H-piles and welding 80 “Nelson Studs” into each of the piles. These piles, along with the piles driven in the first phase of the project, will support the trench structure that will house rail lines entering the port. The studs will help transfer the weight of the concrete structure to the H-piles.

The next stages of work are set to begin as early as next week and include sheet pile wall installation, H-pile impact driving, and the concrete pour of the first section of the trench.

When complete in October 2014, the project will allow full length unit trains of up to 120 cars to enter the port without impeding upon the existing North/South BNSF rail line that carries both freight and passenger trains almost continually throughout the day. Currently, each time a train enters the port, this line must remain clear while the train is “broken” into pieces that can be processed and staged throughout the terminal.