Benton port transload facility set to break ground

Benton port transload facility set to break ground The Washington state Port of Benton's governing board approved three contracts totaling $1.27 million Wednesday that will see the construction of a new freight distribution center in Richland.
   The 7,200-square-foot facility will be used by area growers to transload agriculture products for rail shipment to other parts of the country. Users will primarily be small production growers with shipments ranging from less than reefer loads to several carloads. Trains headed out of the new facility will be no more than three cars long and be added to larger trains headed throughout the nation. Larger growers in the area are served by a nearby facility in Wallula that handles from 55 to 100 cars per train.
   The site for the new Richland facility was chosen by the Columbia River port for its proximity to three different rail lines, giving shipper greater options as to their destination.
   Port of Benton officials expect construction to begin on the facility within the next several weeks and be completed within six months. Plans for the facility call for construction of both refrigerated and general storage areas.