Port of Tacoma Awards Largest Contract in its History

The Port of Tacoma has been awarded the largest single capital improvement contract in its history. ICON Materials of Kent, Wash., the low bidder, will manage construction of a new container terminal for Evergreen America Inc. The contract awards ICON $46.2 million to build the terminal and a dedicated intermodal yard. "This is the biggest project in Port history," said Port Commissioner Jack Fabulich. "While this new container terminal will be a foundation for the Port's future, it also provides a much-needed stimulus to the Tacoma-Pierce County economy. We estimate that this project will create 900 construction jobs during each year of construction, and once the new terminal opens, there will be 1,190 direct port-industry jobs associated with moving cargo through the facility." Most recently, ICON was the primary contractor on the Port's Blair Terminal Improvement project and construction of the $40 million, 144-acre Marshall Avenue Auto Facility. "ICON has a long history of outstanding performance in heavy construction," said Jeff Lincoln, the Port's Senior Director of Facilities Development. "Through their previous work on Washington United Terminal (Hyundai) and North Intermodal Yard, plus our new Blair Terminal and Auto Facility, ICON has proven themselves to the Port of Tacoma. We are pleased that such a highly qualified company won the bid on this critical piece of Evergreen Terminal work." Some aspects of work at the former Pierce County Terminal site are already underway. Warehouses have been demolished and wharf construction and dredging is in progress. The Port's auto processing facilities have been relocated to the Marshall Avenue complex, clearing the way for work on the new Evergreen Terminal in early November. In related contract awards, the Port Commission recently awarded $38.8 million to Manson/Traylor, a joint venture, for wharf construction, dredging and environmental mitigation work. Also, Porter Brothers Construction of Edgewood, Wash., was awarded $7.9 million to construct major terminal buildings, including the maintenance complex, main gate and administration buildings. The Evergreen Terminal project is the centerpiece of the Port's five-year, $341 million capital development program. Capital costs associated with the Evergreen project include container and intermodal yards, associated infrastructure, utilities relocation, waterway and turning basin widening, and improvements to adjacent surface streets. Total capital costs associated with this project are approximately $210 million. According to Brendan Dugan, the Port's Senior Director of Marketing and Trade, the 171-acre terminal will have an annual capacity of more than 480,000 container lifts -- or approximately 840,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent "containers") when the new terminal opens. The terminal complex will also have an on-dock intermodal yard with the capacity of simultaneously loading and unloading 72 intermodal rail cars, each 325 feet long. Evergreen also has options to expand the terminal to 237 acres with a 108-car intermodal yard, bringing potential annual capacity to approximately 1.2 million TEUs. The Port of Tacoma is projecting total Portwide volume in 2003 to be a record 1.725 million TEUs. Located at the terminus of the 2.2-mile-long Blair Waterway, the planned seven-crane, facility will feature two linear berths (approximately 2,260 feet long), a container yard, a dedicated intermodal yard and associated infrastructure. If required, there is flexibility for a third berth at a later date.