PictureProject 16The port’s trench project, which will eventually form the new rail entrance into the port, reached two critical milestones last week. Not only were all of the piles below the ordinary high water mark completed a month ahead of schedule, but the first wall pour of the actual trench structure took place Wednesday, November 6.

Designed to withstand flood waters if necessary, the watertight trench will withstand hydraulic forces from the river, ensuring safe and efficient movement of freight into and out of the port. The new entrance will eliminate a chokepoint on the regional rail system and reduce congestion by as much as 40 percent.

The trench will allow trains carrying millions of tons of cargo ranging from wheat, grains, autos, mineral and liquid bulks, to lumber and other cargo to bypass the mainlines by traveling under the historic BNSF Railway Bridge that crosses the Columbia River between Portland, Ore. and Vancouver, Wash.

The $38 million project, which is being built in four phases, is expected to be complete in 2015.