EVERETT — The state has approved the environmental cleanup of a piece of the Everett waterfront slated for redevelopment.

The property, owned by the Port of Everett, had been the site of a $400 million waterfront redevelopment project. The project was put on hold when the port’s partner, Maritime Trust of Chicago, filed for bankruptcy.

Port officials are considering what to do now.

Erik Gerking, the port’s environmental cleanup administrator, noted that the property, what’s called the west end cleanup site, had been cleaned up voluntarily by the port beginning in 2001. It later became part of the state’s Puget Sound Initiative and the Department of Ecology became in charge of the effort.

The agency said the cleanup had achieved its goal and no further work was needed, Gerking said. “It was a long and arduous process but we’re right at the end,” he said.

He noted that the port removed some 40,000 cubic yards of soil that had been contaminated by years of industrial use.

The port will be required to continue to monitor ground water for pollution, but the effort won’t affect the development, he said.

“It’s great to get one of these off our plate,” Port Commission Chairman Mark Wolken said.

The port still has several properties that it’s attempting to clean up under the Department of Ecology’s supervision.

“The payback is a piece of property that we can in good faith continue to market,” said Commissioner Troy McClelland.

Commission Michael Hoffmann congratulated the port staff, noting such cleanups “take a long time to unfold.”

Port Director John Mohr said the port has spent about $5 million in removing the contaminated soil and trucking it to a special landfill. The state will eventually pay half the cost. The port is also looking for some of the businesses responsible for the pollutants to have them pay a share.

He, too, thanked his staff and the commission.

“It takes a tremendous amount of vision and foresight to stay behind these,” he said.