Port of Coos Bay obtains $25M grant for intermodal terminal project

The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded a $25 million grant to help fund the Port of Coos Bay's proposed project to build an intermodal terminal on Oregon's southwestern coast, Oregon state and federal officials announced this week.

Issued through the USDOT's Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight and Highway Projects program (INFRA), the grant dollars will be used to advance environmental review, permitting, and preliminary engineering and design for the intermodal terminal component of the larger Pacific Coast Intermodal Port project, including the rail yard, container yard, wharf and berths.

"[The] exciting award announcement marks a critical step in the effort to establish a vital intermodal gateway for west coast imports and exports at the Port of Coos Bay,” said Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek in a press release.

The PCIP project will benefit the nation’s supply chain by easing congestion at West Coast ports, according to Kotek administration officials. It will also be the nation’s first ship-to-rail port on the West Coast, meaning the facility will not need to rely on trucks to move cargo.

The project is also anticipated to use renewable energy sources to provide green electricity, which will enable the use of electric-powered cargo handling equipment, vehicle charging and onshore power.

Coos Bay Rail Line, a port subsidiary, connects the Coos Bay harbor to the North American rail system.