Port of Portland Projects Fueled by Growing Demand

By Melody Finnemore

The Columbia River dredging project, increased passengers at PDX, and an economic boom at the marine terminals are all factors in the Port of Portland's expansion.

Record cargo volumes and a rising number of air travelers are driving millions of dollars in expansion at Portland's marine terminals and airport as the Port of Portland races to accommodate growth and remain competitive.

Within the port's marine operations, several expansions are under way to handle existing customers and attract new ones, said Sebastian Degens, marine planning and development manager.

A $16 million expansion at Portland Bulk Terminal's potash facility at Terminal 5 will allow the tenant's annual exports to grow from 2.5 million metric tons to 3.5 million. The expansion includes a $12 million, 97,000-sq.-ft. addition to an existing storage building. It also involves a $4 million rail loop, the facility's third, which is designed to increase Portland Bulk's receiving capacity.

Growing global demand for potash led Portland Bulk's owner, Canpotex Limited, to initiate the expansion. According to the port, the company also was encouraged by progress on the Columbia River channel deepening project.

Work to deepen the channel to 43 ft. began in June 2005. The deeper channel will reduce Canpotex's cost per ton and allow the company to charter larger ships that can carry up to 10 percent more potash per vessel, according to the port

The benefits have a ripple effect, Degens said. "Their tonnage is going to increase and that means more jobs for the longshoremen, the tug and barge guys and the rail people," he added.

Other ongoing improvements attracting additional investment include the Terminal 4 early action sediments cleanup. With construction scheduled to begin next summer, the cleanup involves dredging contaminated sediment and placing it in a confined disposal facility that will be built at Terminal 4's Slip 1.

"We think it's a good investment because it's clearing the way for public and private investors to do business," Degens said.

Among the investors is Kinder Morgan Inc., which is in the midst of a $40 million expansion of its soda ash export facility at Terminal 4. General contractor Eagle Elsner Inc. of Tigard, Ore., is expected to finish the project by the end of this year.

"They are doing that expansion because they're secure in the environmental stability with the cleanup program at the site," Degens said.

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At Terminal 6, Coffman Excavation of Oregon City, Ore., recently added 35 acres of porous blacktop to Auto Warehousing Co.'s facility as part of a 45-acre expansion. The porous blacktop filters rainwater before it enters the river. The project is one biggest of its kind to use permeable asphalt on the West Coast. With less stormwater runoff, the port can save money on environmental measures. "It's a landmark project and we're learning a lot from it," Degens said. "If it's successful here it will make a splash, so to speak, in construction circles."

Also at Terminal 6, Advanced American Construction of Portland will lead $2.5 million worth of structural improvements to a floating dock used by Honda.

The enhancements will allow the dock to accommodate increased volumes and larger ships, which is essential throughout the port's marine facilities, Degens said.

"If we're going to stay competitive, we need to continually invest and modify our facilities to meet changing designs and larger ships," he said. "These upgrades also give us the opportunity to make water-quality improvements and changes that improve fire and life safety."

Changes are under way at Portland International Airport as well. A second parking garage and a new parking guidance system are among the projects designed to accommodate a growing number of airport users. "Our current parking garage is quickly approaching capacity because our passenger traffic continues to grow, and we want to be sure we have enough parking available," said Mary Maxwell, the port's aviation director. The second garage, which will be built directly behind the existing garage, is intended for business travelers who park at the airport for two or three nights. A pair of design alternatives is under development.

One calls for a seven-story structure that will house 3,000 parking spots for overnight travelers and 500 for rental cars. The second concept incorporates 140,000 sq.-ft. of space for a proposed port headquarters.

Portland's Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership received a $1.6 million contract for the preliminary design and alternatives analysis. Construction is expected to begin in 2007 and the new parking garage will open in 2009.

The automatic parking guidance system is anticipated to reduce the amount of time people spend hunting for parking spots when the 3,300 spaces in the existing garage are nearly full, Maxwell said.

"You will very quickly be able to find a parking stall without having to drive up and down the aisles," she said. "That will enable us to get the maximum capacity out of our current garage while the new one is being constructed."

The port awarded a $2.1 million contract to Germany's Scheidt & Bachmann GmbH for the purchase and installation of the parking guidance equipment.

As vehicles approach each level of the garage, a message sign will tell them the number of vacant spaces on each floor. Once on the floor, additional message signs and individual space detectors will direct drivers to available spaces.

Also under way at the airport is the concessions renovation at concourses D and E this spring. In addition, construction will begin next fall on a new baggage-handling system that will begin operating in late 2009.

With the new system, passengers will give checked bags to airline representatives, who will place the bags on a conveyor belt that carries bags out of the lobby and through screening equipment as they are loaded onto airplanes.

The new system is intended to make security screening for checked bags more convenient for travelers and more efficient for the handlers, Maxwell said. "We think it will improve the productivity of the Transportation Security Administration as well," she added.