A much-needed repair project is scheduled to begin soon.

Phase 1 rehabilitation of the Coos Bay Railroad Bridge is "on track" to start the middle of this month, according to Martin Callery, director of marketing and communications at the Oregon International Port of Coos Bay.

The first visible construction - pile driving and cofferdam work around the support pier of the turn span - will begin on Wednesday, Oct. 15 and is projected to be completed Oct. 31, 2004.

According to Callery, the rehabilitation moved one step closer to its long-anticipated start following a recent pre-construction conference held at the Port's administrative office in Coos Bay. Representatives of the Port, the Oregon Department of Transportation, the Central Oregon & Pacific Railroad, Jacobs Civil, Inc., and the prime contractor, Osmose Railroad Services Inc., of Madison, Wis., met to discuss a lengthy agenda related to the $6.9 million construction segment of the project.

The bridge reconstruction will include replacement of structural steel, primarily in the turn span; rebuilding of the turn span support pier; installation of a new bridge deck and rail ties; construction of fendering systems for in-water support piers at the north and south approach spans; some steel repair on approach spans; and other turn span component replacement.

Osmose Railroad Services - a division of Osmose Holdings - has been involved in rail bridge repairs through the United States and Canada since the mid-1950s. Osmose project managers have been meeting with Jacobs Civil, the consulting engineer for the project, to work out details of construction stages and work schedules.

Osmose has hired several regional firms as subcontractors. Among them, West Coast Contractors of Coos Bay, which will perform pile driving and cofferdam construction; and American Bridge of Reedsport, which will do steel fabrication.

"This is a very closely coordinated project," Callery said Friday, "because it does involve two very important forms of transportation for the area."

Callery said part of that coordination involved scheduling rail traffic to run from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m., with construction work taking place during daylight hours, eliminating delays in rail traffic.

"This will maximize the time contractors will be working on the bridge," he added.

Installation of steel components, which are being fabricated off site pending approval of engineering drawings, will begin in February.

Primary funding for the rail bridge project comes from state and federal sources: $5.5 million from the Transportation Act of the 21st Century legislation passed in 1996, and a $1 million grant from the Oregon Economic & Community Development Department. Other funding includes an OECDD loan to the Port and grants from the Oregon Regional Investment Board and the Coos County North Bay Urban Renewal Agency.

"What we're looking for here is a complete rehabilitation," said Callery, adding that Phase 1 involved just the bridge's turn system and center span. "The Port is already working for funding for continued rehabilitation."

Callery hopes the project will add 25 or more years of life to the bridge.

The Port Board of Commissioners and staff of the Port are planning to host a kick-off event to commemorate the start of the rail bridge rehabilitation project in late October.

- Editorial Assistant Penny Gillson contributed to this report.