PennDOT says it’s a step ahead of federal orders for planning
A Federal Railroad Administration program will require all states to identify dangerous railroad crossings and develop plans to address them over the next 14 months.
But that shouldn’t require too much heavy lifting for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation because the agency already has much of that information available through its rail crossings program.
The federal agency published a rule Dec. 14 requiring the program in 40 states and the District of Columbia. The other 10 states, which were identified in 2008 as having the most dangerous crossings and developed improvement programs then, will have to update their program.
“Grade crossing accidents and incidents are the second leading cause of rail-related deaths in the United States, but nearly every one of them is preventable,” FRAAdministrator Ronald L. Batory said in a news release.
“The action plans give states a tool to engage with federal and local partners, railroads and rail safety advocates to identify highrisk crossings and develop strategies to save lives.”
In Pennsylvania, PennDOT runs the state’s rail crossings program through its central office but coordinates with district operations across the state.
The state receives about $7.2 million annually in federal funds for rail crossing improvements and identifies which sites should be upgraded in consultation with federal officials, railroads and the Public Utility Commission, which oversees railroad issues.
Because PennDOT develops plans every year for spending the federal money, complying with the new rule shouldn’t be too hard, said Michael Clinger, who oversees the rail crossings program in Harrisburg.
“That [annual work plan] is definitely the baseline and provides the foundation we can build on to meet the rule,” Clinger said.
“It might not be in the right format, but it’s something that should be fairly easy for us to adapt to what they are looking for.”
PennDOT has ratings for each of the hundreds of crossings across the state and adapts those ratings as situations change due to incidents at crossings or development around them.
For example, crews installed flashing lights and crossing gates for $570,000 this year at Norfolk Southern tracks in Etna, where the borough is planning a trail.
“The goal really is to provide the highest form of protection at each site,” said Gregory Vaughn, a grade crossing engineer at PennDOT’s central office.
Despite efforts to improve safety, about half of the incidents at crossings involve people ignoring flashing lights and gates.
PennDOT has three crossing projects in design for construction over the next two years.
The largest project involves the New Kensington corridor of the Allegheny Valley Railroad, where about 16 crossings will get flashing lights and gates.