What's now a quiet stretch of beach in Everett is expected to become a major gateway to Asia in a year.

More than 100 people, including Gov. Christine Gregoire, turned out last week for a groundbreaking for the Port of Everett's $25 million rail-barge transfer pier.

The pier will enhance Boeing production by making it possible to ship big airplane parts via large rail cars to the company's plant at nearby Paine Field.

Gregoire and other speakers said the project will help solidify the state's worldwide economic-leadership role.

The governor recalled how she'd recently had conversations in Paris about the excellence of Washington wines and in London about the state's cherries.

She said the new rail-barge terminal will let the state continue to develop its leadership in aerospace and other fields.

"One of the specific advantages is to allow us to continue our role as a gateway to Asia," Gregoire said.

The facility is expected to significantly improve Washington's ability to compete with other United States destinations, such as California, where port congestion means ships often must wait offshore for days before unloading cargo.

"Look out, California," Gregoire said. "Washington state is taking over. Our state is getting a reputation around the world for excellence."

That's shown up in such unexpected venues as the Paris conversation about wines, she added.

"They will continue to make jug wine," she said, drawing laughter, while Washington concentrates on producing high-quality bottles.

The concept for the new pier began developing several years ago, said Jack Jones, the director of Everett field operations and delivery for Boeing.

Jones said it's not widely known that the size of parts in airplanes isn't dictated by the planes themselves but rather by the size of railroad cars used to move those parts. If an airplane part made at one plant won't fit in a freight car, the part can't be used in a plane put together at another plant.

"That's what really spurred this," Jones said.

When moving furniture, for instance, having a bigger moving van means making fewer trips, cutting costs and boosting efficiency.

"As a result of that, we're going to sell more airplanes," Jones said.

The terminal will be close to downtown Mukilteo, at the end of a former Air Force fuel-tank farm, on property that's within Everett.

The pier will extend about 900 feet into Puget Sound and will be used to handle parts as large as 35 feet wide, 35 feet high and 140 feet long, with many of the deliveries expected to be for the production of Boeing's new 787 jetliner.

The project will reduce closures on a BNSF Railway line that runs alongside the site. When oversize parts are delivered now from a downtown Everett terminal, that BNSF line, which also is used by Amtrak and Sound Transit's commuter trains, has to be closed for up to two hours. Once the rail-barge facility is operating, that's expected to drop to 15 minutes.

Once parts are unloaded at the new pier, a rail spur will be used to move them to Paine Field.

The project is being paid for with a mix of funds, including a $15.5 million state grant and Boeing payments.

Seattle's Manson Construction, which submitted a $14.8 million bid, was picked by the Port last week to build the facility.

The work also will include major shoreline improvements and extensive provisions for public access, replacing a dirt road, boulders and old piling that's now there.

The project is expected to be finished by about May.

Port picks "clean" crane

The Port of Everett will purchase a "clean" crane for its rail-barge transfer pier.

Several types of cranes were available. The Port decided to buy an electric-powered, rail-mounted crane at an expected cost of about $3.5 million, choosing it over a diesel, rubber-tired crane partly because of environmental concerns.

The crane will be used to transfer cargo containers from barges to train cars.

Peyton Whitely: 206-464-2259 or pwhitely@seattletimes.com