Benton port opens transload facility
The Columbia River Port of Benton in Washington State opened a new 7,200-square-foot temperature-controlled freight transload facility Tuesday.
Located at the Horn Rapids Industrial Park in Richland, the $1.5 million facility will be used to consolidate small shipments of locally grown agriculture products, wine and other manufactured goods arriving by truck.
The consolidated shipments will then be transferred from the cold storage facility to rail cars. The cars will be moved along the Tri-City and Olympia Railroad short haul rail line to nearby switching yards to connect to Burlington Northern Santa Fe or Union Pacific trains for distribution.
Tony Lucarelli, executive vice president of facility operator Henningsen Cold Storage, told the Tri-City Herald in Kennewick, Wash., 'This will be a cost-effective way for shippers of all types of freight to get it to market.'
Bob Lawyer, Northwest regional manager for Henningsen in Richland, told the Tri-City Herald that shippers are interested in using the new facility to ship small lots of fresh produce, like apples, onions and potatoes. Wine makers have also expressed interest, he said.
'We have had great interest,' Lawyer told the paper. 'With the transportation dollars being spent on fuel, a lot of shippers are looking for alternatives.'