The Oregon Legislature has allocated $100 million in state funding to support the Pacific Coast Intermodal Port (PCIP) project at the Port of Coos Bay, Oregon, as announced on June 30, 2025.
The initiative aims to establish the first fully ship-to-rail container port on the U.S. West Coast, connecting southwest Oregon to international markets via a 134-mile rail line.
The project, a public-private partnership between the Oregon International Port of Coos Bay and NorthPoint Development, has also secured $58 million in federal funding through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s INFRA, CRISI, and RCE grant programs.
The PCIP will facilitate the direct transfer of cargo from ships to the Coos Bay Rail Line, which connects to Union Pacific’s mainline in Eugene, providing access to Midwest markets and beyond.
The planned terminal will offer berths for two container ships and handle an initial capacity of 1.2 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) annually, equivalent to approximately 800,000 containers, with potential scalability to 2 million TEUs.
Melissa Cribbins, Executive Director of the PCIP project, emphasized the project's significance for rural communities, stating, “This project reflects the kind of bold, future-focused investment that Oregon needs. For too long, rural communities like those on the South Coast have been left behind.”
She noted that the $100 million allocation includes funding to widen and deepen the channel to accommodate cargo ships, representing about 20% of the total dredging costs required.
The total project cost is estimated at $2.3 billion, with the $100 million state investment marking a significant step toward its realization. The PCIP is now in the permitting phase, with construction expected to advance following regulatory approvals.