The Port of Olympia, Wash. and Port of Tacoma, Wash., Commissions have formed a strategic partnership that will improve regional rail system capacity, establish a center for warehousing and distribution and create a major South Puget Sound employment center.
The Interlocal Agreement between the agencies calls for the two ports to cooperatively purchase, plan and develop a South Sound Logistics Center on a 745-acre site in Thurston County, along Interstate 5. The vision for the land may include facilities designed for handling the growing volume of international and domestic cargo, moving through the region via truck and rail. Container traffic through the Puget Sound region is projected to grow from 4.2 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent container units) to more than 8 million TEUs by 2015. Breakbulk cargo volumes, which have grown significantly over the past five years, are expected to double within the next 20 years, according to a Washington Public Ports Association 2004 freight mobility study. The proposed South Sound Logistics Center will provide a centralized, rail-served location for manufacturers, distributors and cargo handlers.
Source: Port of Tacoma
