Rain and wind couldn’t dampen spirits at the Port of Virginia on Tuesday, where a celebration was held for a milestone in the most ambitious construction project the Port has undertaken.

The celebration marked the completion of the Port of Virginia’s $320 million expansion of the Virginia International Gateway container terminal. This expansion was part of the Port’s larger, $700 million project for its two primary container terminals — VIG and Norfolk International Terminals — that began in February 2017.

This $700 million project will expand overall container capacity at the Port of Virginia by 40 percent.

“Today we celebrate a major milestone in the most ambitious construction project ever undertaken at the Port of Virginia,” Virginia Port Authority Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director John Reinhart stated in a press release from the office of Gov. Ralph Northam. “Construction at Virginia International Gateway is complete. Thanks in large part to the administration and the General Assembly, we’ve made the investments that our customers have asked for, and we are ready for peak season — and beyond.”

Reinhart was joined at the ceremony by Northam, U.S. Maritime Administrator Rear Adm. Mark Buzby, Virginia Port Authority Board Chairman John Milliken and many other Port partners and colleagues.

According to Northam, the completion of this expansion project — both ahead of schedule and under budget — will allow the Port to move cargo more safely, efficiently and sustainably and will cement Virginia as home to a world-class port for years to come.

“What we see is a port that is evolving as one of Virginia’s most powerful economic engines,” Northam said at the ceremony. “It is a strategic asset that is growing, expanding and moving people, goods and cargo while driving commerce throughout our commonwealth and across the world.”

The Port’s investment over the past two-and-a-half years has doubled the capacity of the VIG terminal.

The berth at VIG was extended by 800 feet, allowing the terminal to service up to three ultra-large container vessels simultaneously. The terminal boasts 26 new rail-mounted gantry cranes that support 13 new container stacks, creating more room to stack and sort containers.

Four new, 170-foot-tall ship-to-shore cranes arrived at the Port in January — the largest on the U.S. East Coast. These will be able to service increasingly larger container vessels for decades to come. The expansion also included a larger rail yard and a greater capacity for refrigerated cargo at the VIG terminal.

Furthermore, turn times for motor carriers calling at the VIG terminal are dropping below the industry standard of one hour, thanks in part to the Port’s new Truck Reservation System and four additional lanes at the truck processing gate.

“The Port of Virginia is doing everything necessary to become the U.S. East Coast’s leading gateway for global trade for the next several decades,” Northam said, “and I’m grateful that the Port is part of helping make Virginia the number one place to do businesses in this great country of ours.”

The Port handled a record-setting 3 million, twenty-foot equivalent units of cargo throughout the VIG expansion for the 2019 fiscal year. According to Northam, the port also helped to create 2,800 jobs and $2 billion in investment throughout Virginia.

The Port’s “Wider, Deeper, Safer” effort will allow the largest ships to call on the Port of Virginia safely and efficiently, with dredging expected to begin in January.

Delegate Chris Jones said the VIG milestone is another step forward for the Port’s role in Virginia’s economic growth.

As chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, Jones helped lead the effort to authorize the funds necessary for the Port’s widening and dredging.

“It’s been our vision from the beginning,” Jones said. “This is very wonderful to see.”

The investments made at the Port attract further business to Virginia, including Suffolk and Hampton Roads. Local businesses will have improved access to the global market, and the expansion of the Port’s facilities bode well for more companies to invest.

“They want to make sure that they can get product in (both) effectively and efficiently,” Suffolk Economic Development Director Kevin Hughes said about companies looking to invest locally. “That’s what all of this infrastructure and investment does out here.”

By early fall 2020, the expansion of NIT is expected to be completed, which will double the Port’s other primary terminal.

“With the continued support of Governor Northam, with the continued help from our friends in the General Assembly, we are rebuilding the Port of Virginia for the 21st century,” Milliken said. “The industry has taken notice, and our message is very clear: Virginia can handle your cargo. We can accommodate your largest ships. We can move your product — whatever it may be — economically and quickly to its destination.”