Port Snapshot

Projects that Shape Our Community’s Future
Port of Vancouver projects focus job generation through new industrial and maritime development and rail improvements. Please download a printable PDF of the On Track to the Future brochure here.

West Vancouver Freight Access Project – Improved Rail Service
The Port of Vancouver is located at the nexus of two national rail lines that serve as a land bridge from the west coast to Chicago and Houston. The port relies on rail service for more than 70 percent of its cargo transportation. This number is expected to increase to over 80 percent in coming years.

The West Vancouver Freight Access Rail Project will provide unit-train capacity within the port –trains that are more than 110 cars long. Rail shippers in the United States are now moving cargo using these long, one-haul trains that allow them to take advantage of one of the most fuel efficient forms of transportation – rail can carry one ton of freight 430 miles or more on just one gallon of fuel.

The port’s rail project is a lynch pin in changing the face and function of Vancouver’s western waterfront.  Working with the City of Vancouver, the port created new rail access from the BNSF Railway mainline that re-routes rail service around the future site of Vancouver’s western waterfront development, allowing a new waterfront to be built.

The port project is also the key to the Washington State Department of Transportation’s Vancouver Bypass project that will increase passenger rail service capacity.  The realignment of port rail underneath the Union Pacific Railroad bridge will remove a chokepoint that would continue to cause delay to both passenger and freight rail on the West Coast mainline.

New Terminal 5
The Port of Vancouver USA, has purchased 218 acres of land once owned by Alcoa Incorporated and Evergreen Aluminum LLC, located next to the Columbia River near the port.  The port intends to develop the land for maritime and industrial use, and lease to various businesses, potentially generating up to 1000 new jobs. The land is also key in completing the port's rail project.

North Industrial Properties
Additional property (100-plus acres) north of Lower River Road is zoned light industrial. The port has begun preparing approximately 50 acres for near-term development, with the remaining expected to be developed later. 

Columbia Gateway
Columbia Gateway is an maritime and industrial reserve that will be potentially developed sometime within the next 10 – 15 years.  Future Columbia Gateway development plans include approximately 450 acres of new maritime and industrial development, and more than 550 acres of wetland and habitat enhancement.

Environmental Stewardship
Environmental stewardship is central to how the port does business. We are committed to keeping our air, land and water clean, taking care to preserve natural spaces, and finding transportation options that reduce emissions. 

We Can! – The Port of Vancouver Sustainability Program
Environment, Economy, Community
We Can responsibly operate the port with commitment to reducing emissions and protecting the environment.

In 2006, the port switched its fleet to alternative fuel. We conduct annual environmental audits with our tenants to ensure we keep our environmental commitments, and help businesses find greener, more efficient ways to operate. 

The port uses a stormwater treatment system that treats 99 percent of runoff from our facilities. We have returned contaminated and under-utilized land to productive use, and manage property to prevent re-contamination. This includes industrial properties, as well as cleaning up areas affected by past contamination. 

Our Natural Places
As the port grows, we will be responsible for creating new habitat and wetlands to compensate for the development of land for businesses we bring to the community. A new 160-acre wetland mitigation bank will create, restore, and enhance wetlands, potentially compensating for Port of Vancouver projects and other Clark County area development impacts. It will be the first of its kind in the Vancouver Lowlands.

Vancouver Lake is a valuable resource to our community that shows signs of decades of human impacts.  As a member of the Vancouver Lake Watershed Partnership, the port is working with our agency partners and the community to find a solution to this important natural resource.

Smart Transportation Solutions
We believe moving people and goods between the port and the community must be done responsibly and creatively. As a port of entry and an industrial center, we are improving rail service that will help our rail-dependant businesses use the national rail network, rather than depend on using local streets and highways. 

At the port, we understand that we share the roads with our neighbors. We are working with current tenants to encourage people who work on port property to carpool, vanpool and use transit options. We hope to expand this program as the port grows. 

Social Equity-Jobs for our Community
The port provides a valuable base of jobs in our community that include maritime, trade, industrial, commercial and transportation, generating $1.6 billion in regional economic benefits each year.  Over 15,500 jobs in our community are related to port activities, earning nearly $940 million in annual personal income.  Click here for more information on jobs and the economy