EVERETT – The Port of Everett has changed its comprehensive plan to allow construction of a special barge pier and rail spur for oversized cargo destined for the Boeing Co.’s Everett plant.

The pier, which state officials promised to pay for after Boeing agreed to build its new 7E7 Dreamliner in Everett, is expected to cost more than $15 million.

Planned is a finger pier that would accommodate barges carrying containers as large as 35 feet wide, 35 feet high and 140 feet long. A gantry crane on the pier would straddle the containers and lift them from the barge to waiting rail cars.

“It does two things,” port engineer John Klekotka said of the project in presenting it to the port commission on Tuesday. “It’s designed to meet the customer’s needs, and it solves a transportation problem.”

The pier would meet Boeing’s needs by handling much larger containers than before, allowing the company to have more of the plane’s parts manufactured and assembled in other countries.

It would solve a transportation problem by dramatically lowering the amount of time the oversized containers spend on the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway line that runs along the waterfront.

“It’s increasingly difficult for our customer to make sure that it gets its deliveries on time,” Klekotka said. “They’ll be able to take parts from the dock up the main line in a matter of minutes, rather than hours as it does today.”

Early plans for the project called for a diesel-powered crane. But port officials changed that to an electric model after residents complained about the potential noise and air pollution from such a large diesel engine.

Members of the Tulalip Tribes also complained that the pier could harm juvenile salmon, so the port agreed to will plant eelgrass in other locations to make up for any displaced salmon habitat. It also plans to add fill to create a beach.

“We’re creating a better beach for the public to enjoy at all times,” Klekotka said. “Currently, there is no beach at high tide.”

The port’s three commissioners unanimously approved the comprehensive plan change, which is required for the port to start work on the project.

“I can’t imagine anything more important for a port to do than to provide these kinds of facilities for a local company that employs thousands of our citizens,” commissioner Phil Bannan said.

Business editor Mike Benbow: 425-339-3459 or benbow@heraldnet.com.