The Union Pacific's South Tacoma Tunnel Expansion
City council grants permit for railroad to open tunnel shafts and build freight yards in local wetlands.
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Engineer Chittenden of the Harriman lines appeared before the city council last night alongside local officials to confirm that the Union Pacific will soon begin work on its tunnel. The council granted the company a permit to lay track from the Union Pacific right-of-way to South Tacoma. The plan involves sinking a shaft near Chandler Street to remove earth, while the south portal will also be opened to clear debris. The extracted earth is slated to fill an old swamp in South Tacoma to create new freight yards. The company has committed to removing the temporary tracks from Center Street within a year, implying the tunnel project’s completion date.
“This will give two openings for work. All this ground from the south end is to be taken to South Tacoma and thrown in the old swamp.”
Railroad infrastructure, particularly the transformation of Tacoma's wetlands and industrial corridors, defined the city's growth in the early 20th century. Today, Tacoma still navigates the tension between expanding logistics hubs and the management of protected environmental areas.
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