Grade-crossing safety guides

Railway Track and Structures, July, 2008

The Federal Railroad Administration is distributing two resource guides to assist railroads, grade-crossing designers and state and local governments in making general safety improvements at highway-rail crossings and in establishing quiet zones where locomotive horns can be silenced. The Compilation of Pedestrian Safety Devices in Use at Grade Crossings provides the current state of the practice of pedestrian accommodation at crossings, including pedestrian-only crossings.

Examples of signs, signals, pavement markings and other treatments are included. The Guidance on the Use of Traffic Channelizing Devices at Highway-Rail Grade Crossings covers several types of traffic-separating devices designed to keep motor vehicles in their lane and prevent driving around lowered gates. Development and distribution of both publications is included in the U. S. Department of Transportation Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Safety and Trespass Prevention Action Plan. Phone: 202-493-6024.