By Lindsay Peyton

The West Seattle Transportation Coalition is searching for solutions for traffic delays caused by trucks queuing to reach the port. 

At the group’s most recent meeting, Zachary Thomas, director of Operations Service Center for the Northwest Seaport Alliance, addressed congestion caused by trucks headed for Terminal 18, located on Harbor Island by the West Seattle Bridge.  

Thomas explained that in the past few months, steamship lines have made a number of significant changes to their routes. 

“Since 2008, the steamship industry has been going through a consolidation,” he said. “In the spring of this year, certain steamships shifted to other terminals. It brought additional volume to some terminals. We had a general shift of volume from Tacoma to Seattle.”

Terminal 18 was one of the spots where more ships started delivering. 

Thomas said that before April, Terminal 18 processed 6,000 vessels. Now the number has risen to 10,000. 

“The vessels were just all over the place,” he said. 

The rapid increase in volume resulted in more chaotic scheduling for truck pick-up. As a result, Thomas said, “there were trucks out in the street.”

To manage the situation, the Northwest Seaport Alliance has been working with SSA Marine, the terminal’s operator, to improve scheduling the trucks earlier in the morning and later in the evening – and offering service on Saturday when needed. 

SSA Marine also started stacking containers higher to allow more space for trucks and cargo. The company provided space for truck queuing inside the terminal. 

Northwest Container Services also added a new rail service to Terminal 18 on Saturdays, which should result in 300 to 400 fewer trucks on the roads. 

Thomas said that the Northwest Seaport Alliance has little influence on the operations of its tenants. 

“We knew changes were going to happen,” he said. “We were sitting on the sidelines. Right up to the end there were some questions about whether they would go to one terminal or the other. As the port authority, it’s our land, but it’s leased out to terminal operators – and they run their business.”

The Northwest Seaport Alliance responsibility is to facilitate that business, he said. 

“The reality is, we don’t dictate,” he said. “We don’t make the decisions . . .Our role to play is to make sure the terminals working these vessels are doing everything they can.”

The goal is to minimize the number of trucks waiting in front of the facilities, Thomas added. 

“We’re making sure the impact after these changes happened are as minimal as possible,” he said. 

Members of the West Seattle Transportation Coalition wanted to know how the Northwest Seaport Alliance could be more proactive in the future – and avoid similar problems.

“That was extremely risky,” Victoria Nelson said. “You’re putting a community as risk. You cannot backup the sole entrance of a community.”

Coalition members suggested adjusting the leases with port tenants to allow for more control of how trucks are processed. They also mentioned increased rail service – and creating nearby lots where trucks could wait for deliveries. 

One area resident attending the meeting asked if the Northwest Seaport Alliance could hire police to help control traffic in the future. 

The coalition’s chair Michael-Taylor Judd wanted to know if the city, the port or the police should be taking action during these traffic situations. 

“So who’s ultimately responsible?” he asked. “It’s not the first time this has happened. There doesn’t seem to be anyone held responsible. Is it the port operators, individual truck owners? Should we get SPD in here?”

Thomas said that the port is working to communicate more with the community about this type of issue. 

“We’re doing everything we can to facilitate making it more efficient,” he said. 

For more information about the West Seattle Transportation Coalition, visit www.westseattletc.org. 

For more information about the Northwest Seaport Alliance, visit ww.nwseaportalliance.com.