September 3, 2026 – The City of Decatur has officially completed the two-year, $93 million Brush College Road and Faries Parkway Overpass project.
City and state leaders gathered Thursday morning for a ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the completion of the new overpass and jughandle connector, which separates Brush College Road from Faries Parkway and the Norfolk Southern Railroad.
The project eliminates the most frequently blocked railroad crossing in Decatur, improving traffic flow and safety for motorists, pedestrians and commercial vehicles in one of the city’s busiest industrial areas.
Illinois Deputy Governor Andy Manar says the project was one of the state’s highest infrastructure priorities. “This is the center of logistics, not just for the state, but for the country. So when that intersection, I learned this early, whenever I was campaigning for the Senate back in 2012, when that center of logistics intersects with people’s lives in Decatur, you know, people are stopped by trains, it’s safety concerns, it’s the movement of commerce in and out of the city.”
Manar says the project will have an impact beyond eliminating delays at the crossing. “That means better quality of life for residents. Number one, it means that we’re going to grow the economy here. So when we invest in infrastructure and we do projects like this, the economy grows.”
The former grade crossing was blocked by trains approximately 17 hours each week, with trucks experiencing a combined five-and-a-half hours of delays per day. Officials had projected the blockage could increase to 24 hours per week by 2035.
The project was funded through a combination of federal, state and local sources, including $44 million in federal freight funding, $16 million from a Federal Railroad Administration Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant and nearly $26 million through Illinois Commerce Commission funds.
Other major partners included Norfolk Southern, ADM, Macon County and the City of Decatur.
