The Oregon International Port of Coos Bay is moving forward with tunnel repairs that led Central Oregon & Pacific Railroad to close the Coos Bay Rail Line in September 2007. The Board of Commissioners awarded a contract to LRL Construction Co. of Tillamook this week to repair three tunnels along the 111-mile railroad line.

LRL was one of five companies that expressed interest in the contract. Its bid, at $1.7 million, was the lowest, according to a port press release.

The Oregon company is expected to start work in early July, with repairs completed before the end of the year.

The port received a $2.5 million grant earlier from the federal stimulus package to pay for the repairs on the line that it purchased for about $16 million in March. Additional repairs are needed before the line can reopen, though the port still is looking for funding.