Port of Everett begins rail siding construction project

Construction began earlier this month on a new 3,300-foot double rail siding near the Port of Everett's South Terminal, port officials announced last week.

The new rail siding will help support international cargo movement at the port, which is located 25 miles north of Seattle. In February, the Port Commission awarded a $3.4 million contract to Granite Construction to build the siding, port officials said in a press release.

Funded in part by a federal grant from the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program, the project will complete the second phase of terminal rail enhancements that were designed to improve regional freight-rail mobility and capacity, they said.

Additionally, the project will provide a "critical connection" to grant BNSF Railway Co. easier access to shipping facilities at the port, thereby reducing congestion on the mainline from Seattle to Canada and east along the northern corridor.

The project, which will increase the port's on-terminal rail footprint from 9,200 feet to 12,500 feet, is slated for completion in November.