New Port of Tacoma heavy-haul corridor

Washington State Governor Christine Gregoire has signed a bill allowing the completion of the Heavy-Haul Industrial Corridor within the Port of Tacoma area.

Completion of the corridor will address an overweight load problem currently faced by companies that "transload" cargo from rail boxcars into sealed ocean-going containers, which are then hauled by truck to marine terminals, generally a distance of less than two miles.

Because of this transload process, vehicle weight sometimes exceeds legal axle weight restrictions. Through a permitting process, the new measure will now enable transloaders to legally move this cargo on designated roads in the Port area.

A major gateway to Asia and Alaska, the Port of Tacoma is a leading Pacific Northwest seaport, handling $28 billion in annual trade and 1.8 million TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent container Units) in 2004. The Port is also a major center for bulk, break-bulk and project/heavy-lift cargoes, as well as automobiles.

According to the Port, a coalition of stakeholders, including local transloading, warehousing and trucking companies, the Washington State Patrol, Washington Department of Transportation, City of Tacoma and Port of Tacoma, met regularly over the past three years to establish Tacoma's Heavy Haul Industrial Corridor. This final action completes the existing corridor with the addition of State Route 509, which connects several segments of City of Tacoma roadways that were already a part of the Heavy-Haul Corridor.

Companies that wish to obtain a permit application for the Heavy Haul Industrial Corridor should contact the Washington State Department of Transportation.

For more information, go to www.portoftacoma.com.