I sincerely hope that CORP, the Oregon International Port of Coos Bay and local shippers come up with a solution for the abandoned railroad line linking Coquille to Coos Bay to Florence to Eugene. The Coos Bay area clearly needs this railroad line for commerce.

In the event the port is unsuccessful, however, I would like to see the rail line go to public use as apart of the National Rails to Trails Program. It is a program, whereby an abandoned railroad, such as the CORP line, is acquired by an entity for the purpose of pulling out the tracks and creating a public access path for walkers, hikers, skaters, bicyclists and other non-motorized traffic. For years, the Bay Area has entertained the idea of a boardwalk reaching from the Coos Bay Boardwalk to The Mill Casino-Hotel to the planned North Bend Boardwalk.

If the port does not succeed in purchasing the line, here’s the opportunity to do just that. Think of it, a promenade along the Coos Bay waterfront for citizens to enjoy. Runners could run, bicyclists could bike, walkers could walk from North Bend to Coos Bay and back, out of traffic, on a trail that is safe, clean, level and direct. The route goes right by the future site of the Coos County Historical and Maritime Museum and the Marshfield Sun Printing Museum.

My husband and I enjoy walking to The Mill Casino-Hotel for comedy night. A promenade would be much more user-friendly than the beat up sidewalks along Highway 101. When I run this route, I hop along the rail ties, dodging the tracks and sliding on the gravel. I often bicycle to do chores in and around Coos Bay and North Bend. When I bike this route, I do it on the extremely poor surface of the sidewalk. My route is circuitous to avoid logging trucks and other traffic.

In the event that the Port of Coos Bay is successful in obtaining the rail line, there is a process for Rails with Trails under the same program. A Rails with Trails project sets up a trail alongside an operating rail line. The port could have its railroad and the citizens could have a waterfront promenade as well.

I don’t know how to do this by myself. I don’t know where the money tree is. I am not an attorney. This is a call to all of you out there who might be like minded, have ideas about how to go about this process, or have the expertise. I am very interested in forming a citizens group to explore the process and fundraising, for the possibility of a Coos Bay Rails to Trails Waterfront Promenade.

Please contact me at mzlzrailstotrails@verizon.net if you can participate.

More information about the Rails to Trails Program and Rails with Trails can be found at www.railstotrails.org.



Elizabeth Spona

North Bend