PASCO — The U.S. Department of Commerce has awarded $7.1 million to the Port of Pasco for road and stormwater improvements at the Big Pasco Industrial Center.
Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced the award from the department’s Economic Development Administration on Tuesday.
The project will support a reported 270 new jobs and retain 100 more.
The grant acknowledges that Big Pasco operations were hurt by the 2017 winter snowmelt that caused widespread damage to area roads and caused a building in the neighboring Port of Kennewick to collapse.
Big Pasco is a 600-acre facility with access to rail, the Columbia River and local freeways. It provides almost 2 million square feet of space for manufacturing, warehousing, fruit and vegetable packing and other activities.
