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The Oregon International Port of Coos Bay has executed a $25 million grant agreement with the U.S. Department of Transportation, advancing the Pacific Coast Intermodal Port project.

It’s a milestone in a more than $2 billion effort to turn the southern Oregon port into a major shipping container entry point that would connect maritime shipping to a national rail network.

The fate of the project’s hoped-for federal grants has been uncertain amid the Trump administration’s push to slash federal grants.

The lead developer on the project, NorthPoint Development, a logistics company based in Kansas City, is matching the $25 million grant. The combined $50 million will allow the project to advance into environmental review, permitting and preliminary engineering, the port stated in a news release.

NorthPoint is set to develop the multi-berth container terminal on the North Spit of Coos Bay in a lease with the Port of Coos Bay.

鈥淭he market need for additional freight capacity and supply chain resilience hasn’t changed. If anything, it’s become more apparent,” Chad Meyer, president of NorthPoint Development, said in a news release. “This agreement helps us advance the ball and positions us to meet that demand.”

The is one of several recent federal and state investments to go to the project, including a $29.75 million Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program grant, an $11.25 million Port Infrastructure Development Program award and a $100 million award from the Oregon Legislature. NorthPoint Development’s $25 million contribution is the largest private investment in the project to date.

鈥淚nfrastructure projects of this scale require聽coordination and strong partnerships,” said Melissa Cribbins, executive director of the Pacific Coast Intermodal Port project. “The work behind this agreement represents the kind of sustained collaboration required to deliver projects of national significance.鈥�