With bipartisan support and secured public funding, the Port of Coos Bay’s Pacific Coast Intermodal Port project is shovel-ready and could create over 2,600 construction jobs.
Oregon’s South Coast has weathered some hard economic decades. Jobs in our legacy industries have disappeared, and working families have been left with fewer opportunities to build a future where they grew up.
Today, we have a chance to change that trajectory. The Pacific Coast Intermodal Port, a first-of-its-kind ship-to-rail container terminal proposed for Coos Bay, is a lifeline to a more prosperous future for working families across the region.
The Pacific Coast Intermodal Port is the most significant infrastructure proposal the South Coast has seen in decades. A public-private partnership between the Oregon International Port of Coos Bay and NorthPoint Development, the project will connect international shipping routes directly to the Coos Bay Rail Line, which runs through Coos, Douglas, and Lane counties and links with national rail networks in Eugene. Containers will move directly from ships to trains, dramatically improving logistics while reducing highway congestion and diesel emissions.
But more than that, the Pacific Coast Intermodal Port means jobs — good union jobs. It’s expected to create more than 2,600 projected construction jobs, 2,500 direct jobs, and up to 8,000 total jobs when you factor in ancillary employment across construction, logistics, manufacturing, and small business sectors. These are the kinds of jobs that pay a living wage, come with benefits, and provide long-term career paths. These are jobs our members are trained for — and jobs our region sorely needs.
This is why the Pacific Coast Intermodal Port has earned the support of the Oregon Legislature’s “Coastal Caucus” and bipartisan champions at both the state and federal levels. Legislators from across the political spectrum have called this project the top priority for the region — and for good reason. Once operational, the terminal is projected to annually generate over $59 million in income tax revenue for Oregon. These tax dollars go to work in our communities — supporting schools, fixing roads, funding public safety, and keeping libraries, clinics, and local services open and running.
The Pacific Coast Intermodal Port is a rare opportunity to deliver both economic stimulus and environmental stewardship. The project incorporates cold-ironing technology so that docked ships can plug into shore power — cutting greenhouse gas emissions by more than 50%. The terminal itself will run on electricity, not diesel. And because Coos Bay is a full day’s travel closer to Asia than other West Coast ports, the carbon footprint per shipment will be dramatically reduced. This is 21st-century freight done right: safe, modern, and efficient.
Even more importantly, this isn’t a speculative dream. The Port of Coos Bay has already secured state funding and major federal transportation and rail grants and is finalizing agreements that will launch planning, permitting, and design. The region is ready. The labor force is ready. And with continued public support, we can turn shovels and get to work.
The project also helps solve national supply chain problems by increasing West Coast shipping capacity by nearly 10%. That means our agricultural producers in Eastern Oregon and farmers in the Willamette Valley will have better access to overseas markets, and Oregon-made products will reach global buyers faster and more reliably.
This is not just a Coos Bay success story — this is an Oregon success story. It’s a moment when working people and economic resilience are aligned. The Pacific Coast Intermodal Port is a win for labor and a win for all of Oregon.
We urge state leaders, community stakeholders, and our fellow Oregonians to keep investing in this transformative project. Together, we can build an economy that works for all — starting right here in Southwest Oregon.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS: Jeff McGillivray is executive secretary of the Lane Coos Curry Douglas Building Trades Council. Rod Sprinkle is president of Ironworkers Local 29. Robert Westerman is president of Oregon State Association of Electrical Workers. James Anderson is business manager of Operating Engineers Local 701
Not everyone thinks this is a great idea. I went to a presentation on it a few months ago and the cost mentioned was $4billion. And shipping to Oakland and Portland has decreased of late due to the tariffs. So why is another port even needed?
Where is Coos Bay supposed to house 2600 construction workers? We don’t have enough housing for the people who are already here. That alone will take years to build. And many of those are really only temporary jobs. How many will benefit when the thing is actually up and running? How much slum housing will be left behind when the temporary workers leave?
It will destroy aspects of the Bay that will never be restored, be creating noise and other pollution 24/7 and if the whole thing falls flat, will the owners restore the area to what it was pre-construction? I highly doubt it.
They have to raise 9 tunnels between here and Eugene to accommodate the double decker mile long trains and also build access over the rails on highway 38 in Reedsport so travelers don’t have to stop at a railroad crossing and wait for a mile long train to pass by multiple times a day. Also, I believe they said there is currently not room for these trains in Eugene at the rail yard.
This project will take many years to complete. The ships bringing the storage containers make the chip ships look like bathroom toys and I honestly do not believe it is needed. My greatest fear is it is left half completed to rot when the powers that be realize it was an enormous waste of money.
The authors of this article are wearing rose-colored glasses and seeing only one side of a multi-faceted window.
You mention “major federal transportation and rail grants”. The fact that donald trump despises all 3 west coast states and the doge cuts, how much will the federal Gov. invest here?
This entire comment is packed with outdated info, half-truths, and pure speculation. First off, the $4 billion number is inflated—try $2.5 billion, per the actual project estimates, with the State of Oregon already committing $100 million in bonding. Shipping demand isn’t dead either. Oakland and Portland are rebounding post-COVID and post-tariffs, with Portland already capacity-capped and Oakland posting YoY import growth. This port isn’t redundant—it’s a pressure valve, a much-needed West Coast bypass to relieve congestion that’s only going to get worse.
Worried about housing 2,600 workers? That number is spread across years, not all at once. The region has handled that kind of construction scale before using standard workforce housing solutions like RV pads and temp camps. On top of that, new affordable housing projects in North Bend and Coos Bay are already under construction, aligned with the project’s timeline. And let’s be clear: these aren’t “temporary jobs.” This port creates over 2,500 permanent positions and more than 6,000 indirect jobs, which stabilizes the housing market—not destroys it.
As for environmental damage? The North Spit isn’t untouched wilderness—it’s been industrial land for a century. The site will undergo a full NEPA environmental review, which is legally binding. The port itself will use shore power, electric cranes, and 99% of containers will move by rail, not truck—so cut the noise and pollution fearmongering. Plus, there’s a restoration bond required in case the project stalls (which, by the way, NorthPoint has a spotless track record with—zero abandoned sites in the last decade across the U.S.).
You’re also wrong about the trains. The nine tunnels to Eugene were already cleared for double-stack freight back in 2020, and ODOT has the Reedsport Highway 38 overpass listed in its upcoming funding package. Eugene’s yard is being expanded under Union Pacific and CORP cooperation to handle exactly this volume. The rail bottleneck was solved before you even posted your comment.
And yeah—it’ll take five years. That’s how real infrastructure gets built. These aren’t chip barges; they’re container ships sized for the future, and no, they won’t “rot half-finished.” This is a heavily financed public-private partnership with national-level supply chain impact and oversight.
You’re reacting to a project based on assumptions from years ago, ignoring every fact that’s changed. It’s clear you went to a presentation months back and haven’t updated a single one of your talking points since. This is not some pipe dream—it’s a strategic move with funding, logistics, environmental planning, and labor solutions already lined up. So maybe take off the tinfoil and take a real look, maybe a good time to do some research and invest some money for your future aswell.