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4/18/2022
The Oregon International Port of Coos Bay has finished construction of the new Coalbank Slough Bridge, which has been reopened to rail traffic.
Funded by federal and state grants totaling $25 million, the project included dismantling and disposal of the old bridge structure and replacing it with a new fixed-span bridge. The old structure was a non-operating deck plate girder swing-span bridge for more than 30 years.
Primary contractor Legacy Construction began building the new structure in December 2021, port officials said in a press release.
The new bridge connects the last 16.5 miles of the rail line to the north end of the Coos Bay Rail Line and access to the national rail network through the Union Pacific Railroad yard in Eugene. Replacement of the bridge is instrumental in facilitating rail traffic to the port-owned Terminal One facility, officials said.
The project marks the completion of the first phase of the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) program of projects, which includes includes improvements to 10 steel bridges in the Wild Cat Creek area, rehabilitation of three swing span bridges along the line, and mprovements to the Vaughn Viaduct bridge near Noti, Oregon.