The City of Champaign accepted a $240,000 grant from the Federal Railroad Administration on July 8 to fund a planning study for the Bradley Avenue crossing at the Canadian National Railroad between North Market Street and North Fourth Street. Council voted unanimously, 8–0, to accept the award and direct staff to hire a railroad consultant to study alternatives.

Why it matters: The crossing has posed a repeated safety and access problem for pedestrians, cyclists and emergency responders. Council members and staff emphasized that the study is the first step toward engineering and funding a practical, site‑appropriate solution; the yard configuration near the crossing complicates standard fixes such as a simple overpass.

What council said
Deputy Mayor Kyles, who framed the item during council comment, described a recent personal observation at the crossing and thanked the coalition of county and private partners that advocated for funding to federal representatives: "Safety is a big deal," Kyles said, adding thanks to staff who pushed the project forward.

Council action
Council Bill 2025‑125: resolution accepting a $240,000 Federal Railroad Administration grant for the Bradley Avenue Railroad Crossing Alternatives Analysis and directing staff to procure consultant services. Vote: 8 yes, 0 no; council passed the resolution.

Next steps
Staff will issue a procurement request for a railroad consultant to carry out the alternatives analysis. The study will identify candidate engineering solutions and cost estimates; it is a planning step that will inform any later funding requests and construction phases.