The Port of Tacoma, the sixth-largest container port in North America, has completed two important rail projects in the Tacoma Tideflats.

The $10.5 million capital project increases rail throughput velocity at two key access points for Port terminals, Bullfrog Junction and Chilcote Junction, according to Jeannie Beckett, senior director of intermodal transportation.

“These two rail projects increase the efficiency of access to the Port rail system and will have a direct impact on the flow of the cargo movement through the Port, saving both time and money for our business partners and customers,” she said.

Bullfrog Junction is located between the Tideflats and the two mainline railroads serving Tideflats customers. The project added track and reconfigured the intersection, adding system redundancy and capacity while improving safety, according to a Port of Tacoma news release.

Chilcote Junction is at the intersect point beneath the SR-509 overpass and Port of Tacoma Road where all rail traffic from Washington United Terminals, Pierce County Terminal, and Tacoma Rail converge.

“By reconfiguring this juncture, we have increased rail system redundancy to allow multiple trains to move to and from the terminals at the same time,” said Beckett.

The construction began in February in 2006, but both junctions remained in full operation throughout the project.

The Port of Tacoma handles an estimated $35 billion in annual trade and a 2005 volume of 2.1 million TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent container Units). The Port is a major center for bulk, breakbulk and project/heavy-lift cargoes, as well as automobiles.