Coos Rail Projects Receive $11 Million In Federal Grants

By Amanda Peacher

Published July 6, 2016 at 1:23 PM PDT

<p>Necessary repairs for the 82-mile rail section between Coos Bay and Eugene are projected to cost more than $18 million. The federal grant cover $11 million of that cost.</p> — Necessary repairs for the 82-mile rail section between Coos Bay and Eugene are projected to cost more than $18 million. The federal grant cover $11 million of that cost.

The Port of Coos Bay will get an $11 million dollar grant from the U.S Department of Transportation for a number of rail upgrades.

U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio worked to secure the funding.

“This is great news for southwest Oregon. I congratulate the Port of Coos Bay and look forward to continuing our work to improve this critical transportation link and economic engine for the South Coast,” said DeFazio, a Democrat whose district includes much of the Oregon coast.

Brooke Walton with the Port of Coos Bay said those dollars will help with repairs for aging tunnels and other rail structures.

"We’re getting ready to celebrate 100 years of the rail line here in August," Walton said. "So, as you can imagine, a lot of the tunnels still have the original support structures. They are in need of a lot of rehabilitation.

The project was among 18 selected from more than 200 applications across the nation.