Planning for Major Improvements on an Operating Terminal During a Period of Unprecedented Growth

The Port of Seattle has limited space for further expansion of existing facilities or construction of new container terminals to meet the demands to deliver increasing volumes of products throughout the Puget Sound and United States. Therefore, improvements to existing terminals must focus on increasing terminal capacity and efficiency through modernization and operational enhancements, including new equipment such as Super Post-Panamax container cranes. The start of construction of the three-year Terminal 18 North Apron Upgrade project, including major structural modifications and electrical capacity upgrades to support new container cranes, coincided with the dramatic increase in container volumes experienced in the summer of 2005. Although the end goal of these projects is to increase terminal efficiency, the construction results in a temporary reduction of available operating terminal area. Under these conditions, the planning challenge was to allow continued operation of the Port of Seattle's busiest container facility throughout construction.