Oregon Public Broadcasting

The Port of Vancouver has broken ground  to renovate one of the last available parcels of heavy industrial land on the West Coast waterfront. April Baer reports.

Terminal Five has been mostly vacant since privately-owned aluminum plants on its land were closed.

The Port and local officials have put together an $18 million package to clean up the site, build a new marine terminal and new freight rail tracks.

It's the second phase of a plan to triple the Port's capacity to move incoming freight.

Congressman Brian Baird pointed to a line of balloons dotting the sky above Terminal Five, marking the path where overhead train tracks will run in a year's time. 

His colleague, Senator Maria Cantwell explained that part of the facility will be built specifically to load and unload the wind turbine tower components that are a growing sector of the Port's business.

Maria Cantwell: "This new crane is going to augment the capabilites of this port to literally lead the nation in continuation of green energy jobs."

Contractors will begin laying tracks in October.