The Coos Bay Rail Line runs along the bay in North Bend, Ore., Sept. 5, 2026.
Theo Greenly / JPR
The International Port of Coos Bay declared an emergency last month after rotted wooden supports failed on a railroad bridge near Florence, cutting off the southern portion of the line from its Union Pacific connection in Eugene for nearly a week.
A train crew noticed something wrong with the track at the Cushman bridge on Aug. 26. An inspection found two timber caps, three posts and a mudsill had deteriorated to the point of failure. The port-owned Coos Bay Rail Line stopped service that day.
Brian Early, the rail line’s general manager, said the extent of the deterioration quickly became clear.
“When they got the track off the top of it, it came out in splinters,” Coos Bay Rail Line General Manager Brian Early said. “It just totally exploded.”
Port CEO Lanelle Comstock declared an emergency the same day, allowing the port to hire a contractor without putting the work out for competitive bids.
Scott Partney Construction was awarded a $155,866 contract for the repairs. Commissioners later ratified that decision without opposition at their meeting Thursday.
Trains are running again, but at reduced speed. Replacement posts and a mudsill must be cut, milled and treated and are not expected until October.
Early told commissioners the bridge is one of many with aging timbers along the 111-mile rail line from Eugene to Coquille.
“These are bad, and in all honesty and candor, you’ve got a lot of those out there,” Early said. “We’ve got a list.”
Charleston Marina repairs
The emergency comes as the port juggles maintenance and construction projects across its operations, many of them at the Charleston Marina.
The marina’s ice plant, which supplies the commercial fishing fleet, was down for a week in late August after a part broke loose inside the machinery. Staff fabricated temporary replacement parts to get the plant running again. Permanent parts are not expected until November.
The port is seeking a $2.3 million state grant to replace the Charleston shipyard’s marine ways, a system used to haul boats out of the water for repairs. The project would cost $3.3 million.
A state review committee ranked 35 applications this month and recommended about a dozen for funding, including Charleston. The program has less money to give out than expected after the Legislature redirected $42 million from it in March to help close a budget shortfall.
Marina Manager Ray Dwire told commissioners the Charleston project ranked well despite the reduction.
“We still ended up very, very good in the runnings,” he said.
The Oregon Transportation Commission is expected to make its final decision in December. ODOT is taking public comments through Sept. 25.
Theo Greenly is a reporter with JPR. This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.
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