EVERETT — U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., toured the Port of Everett’s Pier 3 modernization project Friday, July 24, receiving an update from port staff on infrastructure improvements funded through the federal Port Infrastructure Development Program.
The project is supported by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in Northwest Washington infrastructure projects since 2021.
In April, Larsen, the ranking Democrat on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, announced the Port of Everett had been awarded $11.25 million through the Port Infrastructure Development Program to modernize Pier 3.
“This funding is fantastic news for Northwest Washington ports,” said Rep. Larsen. “The Port of Everett and Swinomish Indian Tribal Community will put these dollars to good use constructing and modernizing piers for commercial fishing and cargo operations. These ports are cornerstones of the local economy and these funds will allow them to expand their regional and global reach. I am glad to have been able to play a role in advocating for these funds, and I will keep working to bring home federal dollars to upgrade port infrastructure and create jobs in Northwest Washington.”
The federally funded project will strengthen Pier 3, allowing the port to safely handle heavier cargo loads while improving the efficiency and reliability of freight movement and maritime commerce.
Port Infrastructure Development Program grants are awarded competitively to projects that improve the safety, efficiency or reliability of moving goods through the nation’s ports while preparing infrastructure to meet future freight demand.
The Pier 3 Strengthening Safety and Commerce Project will restore the pier’s cargo-handling capabilities by reinforcing its structural integrity, allowing heavy cargo equipment to once again operate on the facility. Funding will support planning, engineering, environmental review, permitting and construction. The project includes installing new vertical support piles beneath the pier and repairing damaged piles to extend the structure’s service life.
“This project rated well because it tackles two of the main priorities of the program, the first being safety but it’s cargo driven, and our ability to bring cargo handling equipment back on to the pier is going to restore cargo operations,” said Nick Hoekendorf with International Longshore & Warehouse Union (ILWU). “It’s critical and we couldn’t have done it without the federal funding.”
According to Port of Everett CEO Lisa Lefeber, the improvements will restore the pier’s original cargo capacity, allowing nearly every facility to handle between 800 and 1,000 pounds per square foot.
The port’s next major infrastructure priority will be rebuilding the aging Norton Dock, replacing it with two 1,200-foot roll-on/roll-off docks.
While the current project will restore Pier 3’s ability to function as a heavy-lift cargo terminal, Lefeber said a complete replacement of the structure remains necessary. She estimated a full reconstruction would cost approximately $80 million.
“This is basically going to fix the critical ones as we work on a four phased plan to bring the whole dock up to compliance,” said Lefeber.
Lefeber also said the Port of Everett is experiencing one of its slowest shipping seasons in decades because of trade tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, with much of its cargo traffic shifting to Gulf Coast ports.
“We’re basically being kept in business by Boeing and cement,” said Lefeber. “And because we’re in operating port, we have really high cost of fixed labor that we have to pay whether we have one shift or 22,000 shifts. So, it’s been really challenging to manage through it.”
Lefeber added that the ports of Seattle and Tacoma have been innovating and doing things they traditionally don’t do because most of their business is going straight to Canada.
Constructed in 1973, Pier 3 has supported regional and international trade for more than five decades. The facility has handled bulk alumina ore, cement, forest products and general cargo. Today, it primarily serves bulk cement operations because of its proximity to the port’s 55,000-ton dry bulk cement storage dome, a key supply chain asset for Washington’s construction industry.
The north side of the pier also supports ship repair operations for the U.S. Navy, Department of Defense, U.S. Coast Guard, Washington State Ferries and commercial fishing vessels.
At 730 feet long and 120 feet wide, Pier 3 is the longest berth at the Port of Everett’s seaport. Although it was originally designed to support a uniform live load of 800 pounds per square foot, structural deterioration has reduced that capacity to 600 pounds per square foot on the south side, 400 pounds per square foot on the north side and even less in some areas. The strengthening project is intended to restore much of that lost capacity.
Pier 3’s location adjacent to the Port of Everett’s 40-acre Norton Terminal cargo yard, additional warehouse and cargo storage space, on-dock rail service and 40-foot mean lower low water depth makes it one of the port’s most valuable cargo facilities.
The Port of Everett is also one of just 18 Strategic Commercial Seaports designated by the U.S. Maritime Administration, including only five on the West Coast. The designation requires the port to maintain the capability to rapidly support U.S. military operations while minimizing disruptions to commercial shipping.
Author: Kienan Briscoe
