The Port of Benton is amping up its infrastructure in anticipation of increased flow through railways, airways, waterways and more. 

Encompassing two-thirds of Benton County, the port works to develop local businesses, recruit industrial and commercial companies, and maintain transportation networks. 

As existing companies grow and new companies move in, the port is preparing to support them. Rail is a key priority, but the airports and the barge and high dock facilities also play an important role. 

“We’ve got our existing ag companies that are growing and wanting to continue to grow, and then we’ve also got the new companies that are also coming in, such as Atlas Agro, the fertilizer company,” said Diahann Howard, executive director of the Port of Benton. “So we’re working a lot to get our infrastructure ready.”

For the 2024 calendar year, the port has an approved operating budget of $8.5 million, non-operating budget of $14 million, capital budget of $15.4 million and collects $3 million from property tax revenue. 

Intermodal facility

As a part of its plans for industrial growth, the port is working on getting an intermodal facility up and running. 

The facility would move products from truck to train, making it easier to transport goods directly to Tacoma, where they would be put on a ship.

“You can put three truckloads into one rail car, so they can put bigger volumes through the seaport that way and get more products to market,” Howard said.

The Tri-Cities’ products are in demand, Howard said. “Hay, french fries, other ag-related products, they are in high demand; it’s just getting those products quickly to the customer,” she said. 

To prepare for work on an intermodal facility, the port has entered into an agreement to exchange industrial land with the city of Richland. Resolutions to complete the transfer were adopted this summer, and the exchange will take place by the end of 2024. Currently, the port holds a 143-acre mining site and a nearby 80,000-square-foot rail facility on 23 acres, along with 42 acres to the north. The land exchange would secure 243 acres from the city of Richland adjacent to the port’s existing properties.

In return, the city of Richland will receive some smaller properties that help support Richland’s existing park facilities and the Advanced Northwest Clean Energy Park. 

“It just lets us both align a little bit more to our strengths,” Howard said, since ports typically “manage rail-related assets and facilities.”

The 243-acre property already has a loop track, but the port plans to invest in several infrastructure improvements, including a second rail loop track, to get the facility going. Fencing, lighting and other work will need to be done as well. 

It’ll also take a look at the existing building on the property to see what work needs to be done there. 

The port has received $240,000 in state funding to support the development of an intermodal facility. Currently, the port is seeking other grants and ways to work with partners.

The port plans to put out a request this fall to find a terminal operator for the intermodal facility. 

The hope is that the facility could begin running by 2026 or earlier, Howard said. 

Other rail work

Railroad crossings were a focus for the port in 2023, and work on some of them is still wrapping up. Construction on the remaining crossings – at Saint Street, Airport Way, Kingsgate Way and Highway 240 – is expected to take place in fall 2024.

The crossing on Highway 240 is supported by an $865,000 state grant with $135,000 of port funds. The other three crossings are funded by a $1 million Freight Rail Assistance Program grant and $250,000 from the port. 

The crossings are scheduled to wrap up in the first or second quarter of 2025, Howard said.

Upgrading the crossings will help move the trains across faster, helping to decrease traffic delays. “It also resets their lifespan for another 30 to 40 years,” Howard said. 

Rail tie replacement also is underway, replacing 3,000 ties in the Port of Benton rail system. The project received a $1.2 million state grant in 2023, and it will be completed this year.

Going into 2025, the port also will consider quiet crossings to limit the disruption of train crossings and may put in heavier track to support the tonnage traveling via rail.

Pavement maintenance at the Richland Airport.

| Courtesy Port of Benton

Airport updates

The port’s projects aren’t just on track; they’re in the air as well. 

This fall, the port is getting ready to seal cracks in the Richland Airport’s asphalt. The design work for this project was done in 2023 and pavement work was set to begin Sept. 16, running through mid-October. 

The same work – crack and fog sealing on the asphalt – was planned for the Prosser Airport for this year, as well as lighting, but is delayed because the Federal Aviation Administration funds are not available this year. 

The project is currently on hold, but in the meantime, the port will invest its own money in the runway to keep it from deteriorating further. 

Shoreline plans

On the waterways, the port recently received a $2.7 million electrification grant from the Washington State Department of Transportation. The grant will enable the port to install lighting and shore power to power vessels at the port’s barge complex in north Richland.

Portable shore power would mean that vessels don’t have to idle with their engines on, Howard said. 

Currently, the facility is used primarily by the Navy, which offloads shipments there. 

“We’re going to see a lot more use of our barge facility going forward,” Howard said. The lighting and shore power will help to meet that demand. 

The port is also conducting land planning along its north Richland waterfront. The port owns 250 acres along the Columbia River in north Richland, the port’s website said. 

The port is currently working with a real estate consultant to assess needs, which will help the port to move in the right direction. Howard said the port plans on “talking to existing businesses here, existing partners here, and making sure that we’re understanding: who do they want to be their neighbor? What are the services that we need to be considering and putting in place here?”

The goal is to help north Richland to be a “dynamic location for not just the research, but the deployment and working with industry,” she said.

Renovations

The port is also working on renovations for two buildings it acquired this year.

The former terminal building in the Richland Airport, which has existing tenants, will be painted and get LED lighting.

The second building, which is adjacent to the Port of Benton’s offices on Port of Benton Boulevard, was acquired with partnership from Benton County. The 47,000-square-foot office and lab space is available for lease, Howard said, and the port hopes for it to become a center of innovation and partnership. 

“We are trying to get all assets ready to continue to serve industry,” Howard said.