The Federal Railroad Administration selected the Race Road project for up to $26.25 million in federal funding for project development, final design, right-of-way acquisition, and construction. North Ridgeville’s project page, checked September 20, 2026, says ODOT and the Ohio Rail Development Commission are conducting a feasibility study with the City for the Race Road and Maddock Road rail crossings.
Those statements describe different layers of the same project: federal program selection and the stage described in the City’s reviewed update. The reviewed records do not establish a final alignment, paid-to-date expenditures, a construction contract, a crossing-closure date, or a start of construction. The City describes feasibility work; LSL has not independently established that no newer agency record documents a later milestone.
Three records, three purposes
| Record | What it documents | What it does not establish |
|---|---|---|
| Federal selection record | Up to $26.25 million in federal funding, selected activities, project purpose, and match participants | Paid-to-date spending, final design, contract award, or construction start |
| Regional active-transportation plan | Race/Maddock corridor analysis and pedestrian/bicycle planning context | Selected rail alternative or construction authorization |
| City 2026 update | City-described feasibility work, agency partners, and anticipated outreach | Final alignment, property impact, contract, or construction date |
The City page is the local status source checked for this report, not proof that every agency’s records are synchronized. The federal record controls the selection amount and selected program scope.
The federal selection sets a ceiling, not a construction start
The Federal Railroad Administration selection record lists up to $26.25 million for the Race Road grade-separation project. It says the selected activities include project development, final design, right-of-way acquisition, and construction; the project would grade-separate Race Road, close the Maddock Road crossing, and add a dedicated mixed-use path.
The record identifies the Ohio Rail Development Commission, North Ridgeville, and Norfolk Southern as participants in the 20% non-federal match. It does not break that match into individual dollar commitments, document paid invoices, identify a contractor, or say construction has started.
“Up to” is important. It is a federal award ceiling for the selected program scope, not a statement that the entire amount has been obligated, reimbursed, or spent. Selection also does not collapse project development, environmental review, right-of-way, final design, procurement, and construction into one completed milestone.
A precise summary is: selected for up to $26.25 million in federal funding; the City page describes feasibility work as of this review. It should not be shortened to “$26.25 million spent,” “construction funded and started,” or a final project price.
The regional plan keeps the corridor question open
The North Ridgeville Active Transportation Plan evaluates Race and Maddock roads as possible western connections. It notes the lack of pedestrian accommodations at their rail crossings and says a future study would look at a possible Race Road realignment and possible closure of the Maddock crossing.
The plan selects Race Road for pedestrian and bicycle improvements in its broader network because of its connections to neighborhoods and local assets. It does not choose a final rail bridge alignment or show construction-level plans.
That record adds a reader-relevant question to the feasibility process: how any grade separation would connect people walking or biking, not only vehicles. It does not answer the question yet.
What the City page says about feasibility and outreach
North Ridgeville’s current Construction Updates page says ODOT and ORDC, working with the City, are conducting a feasibility study to address safety and connectivity at Race and Maddock. It says both at-grade crossings will close as part of the project, alternatives for a grade-separated crossing will be evaluated, and pedestrian/bicycle connections are planned.
The same page anticipates a public open house in fall and says more information will follow as the study advances. “Anticipated” is not a meeting notice. A reader should wait for a date, venue, materials, and comment instructions from the agencies.
Match the next document to your question
A document request is more useful when it names the decision the reader needs to understand:
| Reader question | Record to request from the project team |
|---|---|
| Where would a new crossing or path go? | The latest alternatives map and any selected-alternative decision |
| Could my property be affected? | Current right-of-way or property-impact plans, with the design stage identified |
| When can residents comment? | A dated meeting notice, materials and submission instructions |
| How much money is committed or spent? | The executed funding agreement and expenditure records, not the selection summary alone |
| When will driving access change? | A construction or closure notice with dates, affected roads and detours |
These are LSL’s suggested requests, not a statement that every record already exists. The City page’s anticipated fall open house is not enough to add a meeting to a calendar: wait for an actual date, venue and comment deadline.
For pedestrian access, ask whether the proposed route provides a continuous connection on both sides of the rail corridor. The regional plan identifies connectivity as a reason for selecting Race Road, but that planning preference does not establish a construction-ready path or its final alignment.
Source and methodology
Local Service Ledger rechecked the federal selection’s Race Road entry (PDF page 21), the regional plan’s Western Connection Analysis (PDF page 54, printed page 19) and the City’s project update on September 20, 2026. The two PDF passages were read in their native layouts; we did not review every unrelated project or plan chapter. We labeled each claim by project stage and separated the federal selection ceiling from the City’s current feasibility work.
We did not inspect the corridor, count trains, verify disbursements, identify a preferred alternative, evaluate safety, or verify property impacts.