Port project team updates council on North Spit terminal, Reedsport crossing funding and schedule

Melissa Cribbins, executive director of the Pacific Coast Intermodal Port Project, told the council she is working to finish design and permitting for a proposed terminal and rail upgrades on the North Spit.

Cribbins said the project has secured multiple design grants and that last week the team learned it had received $3,900,000 “for planning and engineering for the Reedsport crossing,” a community concern because of potential traffic backups and EMS access. She said HDR completed initial engineering and public meetings in Reedsport and that the concept the consultant advanced is a grade-separated crossing (described in the meeting as a flyover/overpass), which “people in Reedsport were pretty happy about.”

Cribbins said dredging design is already near complete and that dredging itself will require future funding. She described continuing work with the City of Reedsport to form a committee to administer the Reedsport grant and to issue an RFP for design and engineering, with RFPs “probably…issued somewhere in March, possibly April,” depending on finalizing grant agreements. She added that the project team is meeting with Oregon Department of Transportation staff and Business Oregon to wrap up grant agreements before a change in federal administration could slow approvals.

On schedule, Cribbins said the planning and permitting phase is expected to last about two years and construction about three years. She also said the project had a federal “strike force” or fast-track group intended to coordinate agencies but that staffing changes tied to a new administration may reduce that group’s membership. Cribbins said the port team is also negotiating with potential shippers and that a separate community engagement plan — distinct from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ NEPA outreach — was completed in draft and was expected to be adopted at the next commission meeting.

Councilors asked technical questions about the rail alignment, frequency of trains, community concerns about vibration and emergency vehicle access; Cribbins said the grade-separated crossing is intended to avoid blocking traffic and EMS vehicles. She said the project team is tracking many detailed items needed to avoid delays and that community engagement and partner communications are priorities.

Cribbins closed by offering to answer follow-up questions and provide contacts for further information.