Coos Bay, OR – January 16, 2025 – The Oregon International Port of Coos Bay is pleased to announce the award of $3,993,224 from the U.S. Department of Transportation through the Railroad Crossing Elimination (RCE) Grant Program. This funding supports the design and engineering of a new overpass crossing Oregon Highway 38 and will also enhance safety upgrades at an adjacent rail crossing in Reedsport, Oregon.

“The City of Reedsport is looking forward to the receipt of the Federal Railroad Crossing Elimination grant,” said Reedsport's City Manager, Deanna Schafer. “This grant will give us the opportunity to further explore options for mitigating the potential effects of increased rail traffic here in Reedsport. We look forward to collaborating with the Port of Coos Bay and ODOT to continue the planning and engineering of potential rail crossings upgrades.”

The Reedsport Grade Separation Project is a regional, multi-year initiative developed with a community focus in mind. A Project Advisory Committee composed of local citizens, business leaders and tribal representatives determined the initial scope of the project. They published the Reedsport Rail Crossing Study in 2023 which laid the groundwork for planning dollars to follow.

“Safety is at the heart of everything we do at the Port of Coos Bay, and this project addresses important potential improvements in the Reedsport area,” said Lanelle Comstock, CEO of the Port. “We will continue coordinating as a regional team, thoughtfully balancing economic opportunity with enhanced safety.”

“This is an important step in building the foundation for a modern, multimodal transportation hub on the South Coast,” said Melissa Cribbins, Executive Director of the Pacific Coast Intermodal Port project. “With this funding, our congressional delegation continues its laudable effort to bring federal dollars to help facilitate local solutions.”

The Pacific Coast Intermodal Port (PCIP) ship to rail project is expected to generate thousands of family-wage jobs, boost the local economy, and strengthen national supply chains. The overpass and safety upgrades are critical to supporting this growth, ensuring that the infrastructure can handle the increased traffic safely and efficiently. 

“The Reedsport Grade Separation Project exemplifies the kind of forward-thinking infrastructure planning we need to ensure the success of this project,” said Cribbins. “By working proactively to address safety and rail traffic challenges, we’re building resilience into our transportation systems and paving the way for economic growth and connectivity that will benefit the entire South Coast for decades to come.”

-------

About the PCIP: The Oregon International Port of Coos Bay is planning to construct a multi-modal container facility on the North Spit in Coos County. The container facility will be designed to accommodate 1.2 million twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) containers per year, which equates to approximately 800,000 containers per year. These containers will be received in the first carbon-free marine terminal in the United States, as well as one of the only direct ship-to-rail container facilities in the United States.

The PCIP is a project of national importance, poised to establish a vital intermodal gateway for west coast imports and exports, facilitating the movement of containers and agriculture products through the Port of Coos Bay. Once operational, this cutting-edge facility will generate thousands of permanent direct and indirect career path jobs and establish Coos Bay as a critical hub of national and international commerce and securing a stronger economic foundation for the region and the United States.

###