Big Ship Ready in Tacoma-The Reconfiguration of Pier 4

摘要

As an initial step in constructing the first "big ship" ready container terminal in the Pacific Northwest, the Port of Tacoma has embarked on a series of wharf upgrade projects at Piers 3 and 4 to accommodate berthing two Ultra Large Container Vessels (ULCVs). An unusual kinked pierhead line configuration, a waterway width restriction, a 64-foot gauge crane rail system, and mooring and berthing components sized for smaller vessels required a structural upgrade of Pier 3 and a complete reconfiguration of Pier 4. The project was initiated with the upgrade of Pier 3, which was completed in late 2014. The next step involves the reconfiguration of Pier 4, which is the focus of this paper. Numerous design and environmental challenges unique to the site required the project to be separated into two phases that were designed in parallel. This paper will focus on the approach taken to upgrade Pier 4 and provides an overview of the project, design criteria, and solutions implemented.