October 25, 2024

Hoyle, Wyden, Merkley Announce Another $29 Million in Federal Funding for Port of Coos Bay Intermodal Project

New federal investment in South Coast comes on top of $25 million announced last week

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Val Hoyle, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, and U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, announced $29,751,615 in federal funding for the Pacific Coast Intermodal Port (PCIP) Coos Bay Rail Line (CBRL) Upgrades Planning Project. The investment comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Consolidated Rail and Infrastructure Safety Improvements (CRISI) grant program.

"Today’s award makes long overdue investments in the Coos Bay Rail Line and will improve sections of the line that have fallen into disrepair,” U.S. Representative Val Hoyle said. “Upgrades and repairs to rail line will help to move products across Oregon and the country faster. A renovated Coos Bay Rail Line is a key part of setting the Port of Coos Bay up to be the first ship-to-rail port on the west coast.” She went on to say, “I would like to thank Secretary Buttigieg, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the White House, and all members of the Oregon delegation for their continued support for bring this project one step closer to reality.”

“Today’s great news for the Port of Coos Bay’s innovative ship-to-rail project keeps significant momentum rolling for this generational opportunity to spark thousands of good-paying jobs on the South Coast,” U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said. “On top of last week’s $25 million investment, today’s added $29 million for planning moves the port project and its huge economic and environmental benefits that much farther down the track to completion. I’m committed to continue the teamwork with Congresswoman Hoyle, Senator Merkley and the Biden-Harris administration to secure all the federal funds the Port of Coos Bay deserves for a successful result.”

“The wins for Coos Bay’s transformative container port project keep rolling in! This additional $29.7 million award—bringing the total federal investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to $55 million—further moves the Port of Coos Bay toward the goal of becoming the first fully ship-to-rail port facility on the West Coast,” U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley said. “Specifically, the funding to upgrade the Coos Bay Rail Line is huge for the project because it ensures we have durable infrastructure in place that cuts climate-killing emissions and addresses bottlenecks in the national supply chain. I’ll keep working with the Oregon delegation to champion even more wins for this project that will create good-paying union and permanent local jobs on Oregon’s rural South Coast and boost the economy for our entire state.”

The CBRL project is a crucial step to realizing the PCIP’s goal of becoming the first ship-to-rail port on the West Coast. These funds will help to plan rail-specific improvements including track rehabilitation, new sidings, and will reevaluate the viability of tunnels, bridges, and crossings along the route from the Port of Coos Bay to Eugene. In addition, grant money will provide for improvements to the Eugene Yard to accommodate increased Coos Bay Rail Line traffic and ensure an uninterrupted connection to the Class I national rail network. These investments will also help deliver on the promise to transport the Port of Coos Bay’s added capacity without corresponding increases in greenhouse gas emissions that come from a reliance on truck transport.

Combined with a previous $25,018,750 Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight & Highway Projects (INFRA) grant award, that provides for engineering and design of the intermodal terminal component of the project, this award brings economic vitality back to the South Coast. With the potential to bring over 8,000 jobs back to the region, this project also makes good on the long-forgotten promise of creating new pathways to the middle class for South Coast residents.

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