Grade Crossing Safety Initiatives
in Texas
Darin K. Kosmak
Rail Highway Section
Director
Texas Department of
Transportation
Rail Division
Austin, Texas
2010 Dedicated Fund Programs
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Federal RR Signal $15.0 M
Federal RR Grade Separation $25.0 M
State Grade Crossing Replanking - $ 3.5 M
State RR Signal Maintenance $ 1.1M
Total dedicated fund programs =
$44.6 M / YR
Program Overview
• Texas has most public highway-rail grade
crossings (9,784) & RXR crashes in U.S.
• Auto-train collisions, injuries and fatalities
have decreased by 68% over past 20 years.
• Lowest reported fatalities in each of past two
years (2008 – 09).
• During FY 2010, Railroads installed 143
crossing signal projects at cost of $30.4M.
• In FY 2010, 33 Highway-rail grade separation
projects went to contract statewide.
State Replanking Program
• One of only a few remaining state funded programs of
work for resurfacing on-system crossings
• The Commission reauthorizes and funds the program as
part of the UTP.
• Program only funds reimbursements to Railroads. TCP
and approach work must be funded thru TxDOT district
maintenance budgets.
• 2010 Program funded 46 projects at a cost of
$3.16 Million.
• Project work is contracted
directly with the operating
railroad company.
Federal Railroad Administration
Crossing Safety Action Plan
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Federal Rail Safety Improvement Act –
Passed into Law on October 16, 2008
FRA Final Rule issued June 28, 2010
Requires 10 States with highest number of
fatal crashes to implement crossing safety
action plans.
• Inventory Reporting
• EN Signs/numbers
• Crash reporting
Texas Crossing Safety Action Plan
Goals & Objectives
• Identify Crossings with Multi-Collisions
• Identify and Evaluate Crossing & Crash Data at
Multi-Collision crossings
• Identify & Evaluate Other Statewide Crossing
Safety Needs to Focus Mitigation Efforts
• Develop 5-Year Safety
Action Improvement &
Implementation Plan
Crossing Safety Improvement
Stakeholders Meeting
• Developed List of
Safety Action Plan
Recommendations
for Program Areas:
• Evaluation
• Engineering
• Education
• Enforcement
Program Area Recommendations
Evaluation
• Improve Communication
to Stakeholders of RXR
Safety Improvement
Programs & Strategies
• Research & Provide
Collision Data to Identify
Multi-Collision Crossings
• Update TxDOT Priority
Index Formula
Program Area Recommendations
Engineering
• Use Sec. 130 funds to
require closures
• Preemption Upgrades
• Local participation to
encourage low cost
safety improvements:
YIELD/STOP signs,
AW signs, medians
Program Area Recommendations
Education
• Driver Education Tools &
Education Materials
• Operation Lifesaver –
Focus Mitigation Efforts
to high-incident regions
• Update & Re-Publish
TxDOT RXR Public
Information Materials on
Website & E-mail list.
2003-07 Crash Data Analysis at
Multi-Collision Crossings
• Total of 1,328 collisions at 1,044 crossings
• Casualties: Non-injury 60%, injury-only 31%, fatal 9%
• 61% of total collision-crossings had active warning
devices in place
• 35% of crashes occurred at active crossings where
multiple-collisions were reported
• 80% of the 1,328 collisions occurred at crossings
located within close
proximity of a nearby
Highway Intersection
Collision Analysis of Crossings Located
Near Highway Intersections
• 229 of 803 reported RR active warning devices
interconnected with nearby traffic signals
• Of the 229 reports, 46% occurred at multi-collision
crossings
• 42% occurred at crossings located less than 75
feet from adjacent
highway intersection, &
• 69% of the crossings
had active warning
devices
Conclusions of Collision Analysis
• Higher incident of
collisions at crossings:
1. Located adjacent to
highway intersections
2. With multi-collisions
located adjacent to
highway intersections
3. With railroad signals
interconnected with
adjacent traffic signals
Texas Crossing Safety Action Plan
5-Year Implementation Plan
Education & Enforcement
• Coordinate with Texas Operation Lifesaver to focus
crossing safety mitigation efforts in auto-train collision
high incident regions.
• Print second edition of Grade Crossing Law
Enforcement pocket guides.
• Update & re-publish TxDOT RXR Public Information
Handbook materials on TxDOT website.
• Communicate events and new information to e-mail
group account of crossing safety stakeholders.
Texas Crossing Safety Action Plan
5-Year Implementation Plan
Evaluation & Engineering
• Include “Gated” Crossings Reporting Multiple Collisions
in TX PI Formula Rankings
• Upgrade Preemption at Interconnected Crossings
• Focus on Crossing Corridor Safety Upgrade Projects
• Install more YIELD/STOP signs at Passive Crossings
• Identify Passive Crossings w/ Limited Sight Distance
for Signal Upgrade or Closure*
• Local Cost participation for road work (medians, curbs),
utilities, ROW, Quiet Zones, Traffic Signal upgrades
• Railroad Cost Participation for Wayside upgrades,
replanking, closing crossings, and signal/gate re-hab
Texas Crossing Safety Action Plan
5-Year Implementation Plan
Evaluation & Engineering
• Monitor and update annual performance workload
measure: “% of signalized public railroad crossings”.
• Establish new performance workload measure:
“% reduction of crossings experiencing multi-collisions”
• Establish new performance workload measure:
“RXR Fatal & Serious Injury Crash Rate”
• Conduct research to develop warrants for passive to
active upgrades at low volume crossings
• Upgrade railroad crossing inventory database, update
priority index, and continue crash data analysis
Developing Warrants for Active Warning Devices
at Low-Volume Highway-Rail Grade Crossings
Project Abstract
– Two-year research project.
– Develop a highway-rail crossing prioritization system.
– Revised safety index and warrants for active warning devices at
low-volume highway-rail grade crossings.
The Research Scope
– Emphasizes low-volume crossings in the lower-third of the
priority list generated with the current Texas Priority Index.
– variables in the safety index present challenging mathematical
characteristics and must be modeled using appropriate methods.
– Deliverables will facilitate rail-highway crossing management in
Texas, ensuring proper consideration of low-volume roads when
applying Section 130 funding mechanisms
Developing Warrants for Active Warning Devices
at Low-Volume Highway-Rail Grade Crossings
Project Organization & Implementation
– At the end of the first year:
TxDOT will have a provisional set of warrants, and a list
of crossings eligible for improvements with cost
estimates. Evaluation of this early implementation will
be used to refine the warrants during the second year.
– At the end of the project, TxDOT will have revised
warrants based on this practical implementation, a new
list of eligible crossings based on the revised warrants,
a revised safety index and protection factors, a
methodology to rank crossings that meet those
warrants, and a prioritized list of all crossings, prepared
with the new methodology.
Texas Railroad Crossing Inventory
Database Project - TRAX
• The vendor has been selected and is now under
contract to develop the new database
• TRAX will be web-based, geospatial, data integration
database for managing crossing inventory, crash
records analysis, project prioritization/selection,
project workflow tracking, financial processing and
contract management
• TRAX is a two (2) year project. District and Railroad
staff will be involved in development & testing of the
database
• TRAX will replace TRACI (web based) & TxRAIL
(internal) databases currently in use by TxDOT
Keys to Success
• Timely and accurate
prep of project PS&E
• Dedicated Funding
• Timely Reporting
• Accurate Records
• Good Database
• Communication
Coordination &
Cooperation
Questions?
darin.kosmak@txdot.gov