Port of Warden receives grant for growth

WARDEN — The Port of Warden has been awarded a $175,000 grant from Grant County’s Strategic Infrastructure Program to help cover road design and engineering for the second phase of the port’s rail expansion project.

According to a press release, the grant allows the port to begin design and engineering work on the proposed $6 million expansion project and will allow the port to handle more freight shipments from agribusiness and food processors.

The past few years have seen significant expansion by food processors, fertilizer manufacturers, cold storage companies and a major reconstruction of Oregon Potato Company’s processing facility in Warden after it was devastated by a fire in January.

The Port of Warden recently completed a $2 million project to lay one mile of rail siding to improve storage on the Columbia Basin Railroad, which runs between Connell and Moses Lake.

Similarly, the Port of Moses Lake is preparing to extend rail access to its property along Wheeler Road, bypassing the rail line that runs through part of the city of Moses Lake.