Oregon DOT receives transload pre-proposals

Written by Mischa Wanek-Libman, Editor, Railway Track & Structures; and Engineering Editor, Railway Age
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The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) received six pre-proposals from firms willing to build two transload facilities in Treasure Valley and in the mid-Willamette Valley.

The Treasure Valley area project received a single proposal while the mid-Willamette Valley area project received five proposals. ODOT says the transloading sites will improve shipping connections in critical parts of the state.

The pre-proposals will be reviewed by a group comprised of ODOT planners and staff from Business Oregon following an initial check for completeness. ODOT says the review will make sure the applicants have all the key elements in place to move forward.

“We’ll look for things like, do they have an organizational structure that’s viable? Do they have experience in delivering a complex, multimodal project?” said Erik Havig, planning section manager at ODOT. “Most importantly, do they have local support and the support of the partner railroad?”

The two transload projects were included in the Oregon legislature’s 2017 transportation funding package.

The pre-proposals budget estimates range between $15.5 million and $26 million and all included letter of support from potential rail partners who expressed a willingness to explore the projects.

A summary of the proposals, including rough cost estimates:

$26 million for the Treasure Valley Reload Center by Malheur County Development Corporation with letters of support by Union Pacific and Raritan Central Railway

  • $18.9 million for the Brooks Hopmere Intermodal Facility by Oregon Port of Willamette with letters of support by Portland & Western Railroad and Union Pacific
  • $18 million for the Greenhill Multimodal Facility by Greenhill Reload, LLC with a letter of support by Coos Bay Rail Link
  • $16.9 million for the Lebanon Intermodal Facility by LIFTS Oregon, LLC, with letters of support by Portland & Western Railroad and Albany and Eastern Railroad
  • $15.5 million to $18 million for the Mid-Willamette Valley Intermodal Facility by Northwest Container Services with a letter of support by Portland & Western Railroad $25 million for the Mid-Willamette Valley Intermodal Facility by Linn Economic Development Group with letters of support by Portland & Western Railroad and Union Pacific

The ODOT says reviews will be complete by mid-January and recommendations will be sent to ODOT Director Matt Garrett. Recommended applicants will then be invited to submit a project plan. Those project plans will provide more detail about future timelines.

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