Study: Portland cargo volume to double by 2035

Study: Portland cargo volume to double by 2035 Trade volumes through the Portland-Vancouver region are forecast to double by 2035, according to a new study partially funded by the Port of Portland and released Wednesday.
   The study indicates the need for an increased focus on planning and infrastructure investment to increase the capacity of trade and transportation support infrastructure, while reducing the negative impacts of goods movement activities on neighboring communities.
   'Our region has done an impressive job of planning and making the investments to ensure we have outstanding transportation infrastructure — our marine terminals, rivers, rail network, airports and most of our roads have the capacity to efficiently handle today's volume and even some significant growth,' said Bill Wyatt, Port of Portland executive director, in a statement. 'However, today's infrastructure cannot handle tomorrow's volumes. The trade capacity study is a great tool for helping our region quantify and prepare for the freight volume increases we'll see in the next 30 years.
   'The projected growth in freight volume places new urgency behind planning and investing in our transportation infrastructure. We have a choice today in how we'll prepare for this growth. We can be proactive and take advantage of opportunities while preserving the quality of life we all enjoy, or we can wait until problems start to develop, opportunities begin passing us by and the costs have increased. The second option is not tremendously appealing in my book.'
   According to the study, marine freight volumes will increase by 67 percent with substantial increases projected for autos, bulks and containerized freight, including a projected tripling of auto import volumes by 2035.
   The executive summary of this study is available at https://www.portofportland.com/Trade_Trans_Studies.aspx and the full version will be available on that page on Monday.