Crews removed the last piling from the Port of Vancouver’s Terminal 1 dock Wednesday, bringing an end to the first stage of construction to replace the 100-year-old structure.
Work to demolish the dock, which sits just downstream from the Interstate 5 Bridge, began in October.
“Pulling the final piling of the century-old dock from the river (Wednesday) means we’re getting closer and closer to having a new public marketplace,” said Casey Bowman, spokesperson for the Port of Vancouver USA.
Replacing the dock is part of the port’s effort to build a public market, akin to Seattle’s famous Pike Place Market.
During the monthslong demolition process, crews removed nearly a thousand wood pilings — many treated with creosote — dating to the 1920s.
The port has to do the replacement work on the dock during three “in-water work windows,” when threatened and endangered salmon species are least likely to be in the area. The National Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife set the work windows.
The first phase, which included demolishing the old dock and removing the pilings, is now complete.
“We’re glad to have finished this important step and kept the project on track,” said Bowman, noting the first in-water work window closes Jan. 31.
In the fall, crews will start the second construction phase, working on ground improvements and rebuilding the bulkhead wall where the dock meets the shoreline.
In fall 2025 the port will install some 200 steel pilings to support a new dock during the final in-water work window of the project.
After the new dock is complete, the port plans to build a 40,000-square-foot marketplace in 2026 and 2027.
