The Oregon International Port of Coos Bay plans to install sand fencing along the railroad corridor along a section adjacent to the TransPacific Parkway on the North Spit, beginning early next week.

The right-of-way area is on the northern boundary of an isolated 80-acre parcel of U.S. Bureau of Land Management managed property on the North Spit. Port officials hope the fencing will protect the rail line from damage to the ballast and ties caused by sand from drifting sand and illegal crossings.

BLM will begin enforcing unauthorized vehicle access on the same parcel and install “no motorized access” signs.

“Off highway vehicles crossing the railroad tracks to access this area are causing sand to drift across the tracks, which will ultimately compromise the railbed,” said Martin Callery, the port’s director of communications and freight mobility. “There is also not a legal ATV crossing at this location, and we want to help ensure public safety when rail traffic resumes.”

“Off-highway vehicle use has not been allowed in the open sand on this dune for the past 13 years, but our access enforcement was focused on other areas,” said Dennis Turowski, BLM Umpqua field manager. “We really need to focus on this area now.”

The parcel of public land is located on the south side of TransPacific Parkway, adjacent to the former Weyerhaeuser Paper Mill site and just north of the Roseburg chip facility.