A large commercial development expected to bring millions of dollars in economic activity and nearly 1,000 construction jobs is coming to the Port of Kalama in Washington. But first, earth must be stabilized.

Around 315,000 cubic yards of sand will be shifted around in staggered stages on six sites over 42 acres near the intersection of Kalama River Road and Old Highway 99.

“It’s kind of cool how they have it engineered,” said Josh Brock, project manager with Battle Ground-based Tapani Inc., which was awarded the $1.2 million project.

Crews will first compact roughly 4 to 5 feet of sand, and then put an additional 10 feet on top of that. They’ll let that sit for eight months, or as long as necessary for it to settle alongside the native ground. Next, all of that material will be moved to the next site, fill will be added, and so on. At the last site, the whole area will be balanced.

The Port of Kalama’s effort to develop there has already taken about a decade to date, as properties have slowly been acquired. Two regional destinations are planned for the 70-acre site located north of the Kalama River and east of Interstate 5: 24-acre Haydu Park, and the Spencer Creek Business Park.

The business park project is planned to be built over 20 years, at which point it will provide 676,000 square feet of commercial space and 1,000 jobs, on top of around 1,000 construction jobs, according to Eric Yakovich, economic development manager for the Port of Kalama.

“Right now we’re kind of in an infrastructure phase of the project,” he said.

Geotechnical firm Columbia West Engineering designed the project. AKS Engineering is designing roads associated with the build-out.

The Port of Kalama is overseeing a lot of work. A $1.2 billion methanol marine export facility, planned across the interstate from the port, is in the permitting phase. And a McMenamins hotel and restaurant is being built near the port’s administration building.

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