The sign, what it means
What's in a sign?
Those of us who cross the tracks coming into the downtown area of Lakeside have seen the sign by the railroad tracks, “Putting Oregon Back To Work.”
The Port of Coos Bay purchased the railroad line running from Coquille to the Union Pacific yard in Eugene in an effort to someday put the line back into operation.
The Director of Communications and Freight Mobility Martin Callery, stated that two signs were to be prominently placed along the freight route as a requirement of utilizing federal dollars (2.5 million) in stimulus funds to work on the Coos Bay tunnels.
One of those signs is located in Lakeside, the other a few miles east of Florence.
The Port of Coos Bay purchased the line to prevent Rail America from destroying the rail lane through salvage. The goal is to restore the entire freight line to the minimum of once or twice a week, with an eye on more as the economy improves.
