Posted on March 20, 2023
The Bellingham Shipping Terminal wharf is being upgraded this year as part of an ongoing rehabilitation project.
This project includes the replacement of a deteriorated structural component at the Central Terminal, dock repairs at the South Terminal and maintenance dredging of high spots underwater, according to Port of Bellingham spokesperson Mike Hogan.
The goal of the dredging is to create a consistent depth of about 35 feet in order to allow for safe vessel access to the terminal.
“A barge-mounted crane and excavator will be used to dredge sediment built up adjacent to the face of the docks and load that sediment into another barge to be hauled off for disposal,” Hogan said in an email to The Bellingham Herald.
About 2,000 cubic yards of clean sand will be placed on top of the dredged area. The dredging area does not support any aquatic vegetation like eelgrass or microalgae.
A 140-foot section of the existing wharf will be repaired and replaced. This will include the removal of the existing deck superstructure and the piles supporting it. The infrastructure replacement will be designed to support the Port’s 120-metric-ton mobile harbor crane.
There are no plans for the wharf itself to be expanded.
The Bellingham Shipping Terminal wharf rehabilitation project is currently finishing the design and permitting phase. Construction is expected to start this fall with completion by mid-2024.
In 2020, the Port secured a $6.85 million U.S. Department of Transportation Port Infrastructure Development Program Grant to help fund this rehabilitation project.
“In addition to the Shipping Terminal wharf rehabilitation project, the Port is continuing to make significant investments to modernize the terminal,” Hogan said.
The Port plans to start construction on a terminal electrification project this summer that will include upgraded power service and safety improvements.
The Port will move overhead power lines underground to allow large equipment to fully utilize the land at the Shipping Terminal.
“This project will also give shipping customers the ability to connect to clean electric power, which will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality for maritime workers and community members,” Hogan told The Herald.
The terminal electrification project is expected to be complete by the end of 2024.
