Port of Vancouver, Washington, celebrates Terminal 5 opening

A SOUTH WEST Washington congressional delegation celebrated the opening of Terminal 5, formerly Vancouver's Alcoa Aluminum smelter, which will form a loop track by summer 2010 for the West Vancouver Freight Access rail project.

The loop track is just one component of the bigger West Vancouver Freight Access project that will bring 1,900 construction, engineering, design, and other construction-related jobs to the region between now and its completion in 2017, added the port.

Since closing the purchases of the two parcels of property (Evergreen closed in late January, and Alcoa in late March) that now make up Terminal 5, the port has begun handling wind energy components on the new terminal, and has moved forward with the preparation for the new rail facility. The property that once held 3,000 jobs for Vancouver area workers was cleaned to state industrial standards - as enforced by Department of Ecology - by Alcoa and Evergreen Aluminum, the previous owners - before the port's purchase was completed.

Those present at the Terminal 5 unit train facility include all three of Southwest Washington's congressional delegates: Senator Patty Murray; Senator Maria Cantwell; and Representative Brian Baird.

Source: www.schednet.com