The Vision 2000 program
will create the infrastructure necessary for the Port of
Oakland to meet regional and national cargo transport needs into
the next millennium. With the transfer of 530 acres of a former
military base completed, the Port of Oakland is now undergoing its
largest expansion since the 1970's.
A central feature of the
Vision 2000 project is an increase in facilities and storage
needed for efficient cargo movement. The new Berths 55-58 will provide
5400 feet of berthing area where four ships may be loaded or unloaded
and will include 250 acres of new marine terminals and container
yards. The alignment and size of the new marine and rail terminals
provide the storage necessary for efficient throughput of containers
from ship to rail or truck and on to their destinations. New and
redesigned roadways will optimize truck traffic moving between terminal
yards and adjacent freeways.
Adjacent to the new marine
terminal, the 150-acre Joint Intermodal Rail Terminal will
provide direct mainline access for the Union Pacific and Burlington
Northern-Santa Fe Railroads. The rail terminal will have eight permanent
tracks and adequate container storage space for efficient cargo
loading for multiple trains per day.
With the two marine terminals,
a rail terminal and a deeper ship channel, the Port of Oakland will
more than double in size and will meet anticipated demand for cargo
transport services well into the next century.
Large gantry cranes pick containers
off the ship and place them onto truck chassis which are pulled
by hostlers. Hostlers move the containers within the marine
terminal yard. Typically containers are stored in terminal yards
prior to placement on a train or truck. A special forklift,
called a piggy-packer, double stacks containers onto long haul
trains. Top-picks, or other specialized forklifts, load containers
onto trucks for delivery to their destinations. |
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