By Mark Edward Nero
On May 24, representatives from the Port of Portland, Ford Motor Co. and the Auto Warehousing Company (AWC) held a ribbon cutting ceremony for a new 18.9-acre storage and staging yard to support the port’s growth of export vehicles.
The lot, which can hold close to 3,000 vehicles, features porous pavement to minimize stormwater runoff and energy efficient LED lighting.
The Oregon Department of Transportation awarded a ConnectOregon grant of $2.6 million to the port and Auto Warehousing in 2016 to fund part of the $7 million lot expansion.
AWC leased 130 acres at the port’s Terminal 6 in 2005, and currently handles the import of Hyundai vehicles into the US and the export of Ford vehicles manufactured in North America bound for China, the Philippines and South Korea.
Export volumes have grown steadily in the last several years, according to port data, with more than 50,000 exports moving through Portland in 2016. A total of 291,000 vehicles – imports and exports – rolled through Portland’s terminals last year, representing an 11 percent increase over the previous year.
