Assessment and Analysis of Methodologies for Initial Identification of Highway-Rail Grade Crossings

Railroads and state agencies each maintain inventories of highway-rail crossing data which are periodically reported to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). State agencies may also use this data as a tool to assess and evaluate crossings for potential hazard elimination and highway improvement projects, including, but not limited to, installation of new or enhanced grade crossing signals as well as grade crossing separations, consolidations, and relocations. As codified under 23 USC 130, the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Section 130 program is a significant source of funding throughout the United States for hazard elimination projects at highway-rail grade crossings. North Carolina Department of Transportation's (NCDOT’s) Rail Division oversees and manages North Carolina’s appropriation of Section 130 program funding with most grade crossing signalization projects undertaken by Rail Division funded through this program. The purpose of this research project is to assess and analyze systemic ranking methodologies and data collection techniques used by transportation agencies in other states and the District of Columbia to initially identify locations for potential hazard elimination projects. Findings from the assessment and analysis will be presented to Rail Division and, as determined by its programmatic needs and objectives, used to develop recommended enhanced data collection and project selection methodologies, including modifications to its current Investigative Index as may be warranted. At research conclusion, the research team will develop a report that Rail Division may present to FHWA for approval of any recommended enhancements to its current Investigative Index or, if determined otherwise, an alternative methodology that will be adopted by Rail Division for initial identification of locations for potential hazard elimination projects. Results of this research could be adopted as a best practice for use of funding resources available and dedicated to grade crossing safety. The research team is comprised of technical experts who are ideally suited for the research. Members of this research team have created predictive models for pedestrian-rail, highway-rail, and other rail network conflicts, possess subject matter expertise in analytics and rail safety, and have successfully executed multiple NCDOT research projects. The Principal Investigator, Daniel Findley, has led more than 80 research projects, including many NCDOT projects with a national or international reach. He will be an invaluable advisor for this research. Steve Bert specializes in rail transportation and data analysis. He led NCDOT RP 2020-44: Comprehensive Cost of Rail Incidents in North Carolina (link). James Poslusny is a statistician who specializes in regression analysis and predictive modeling. He was a key researcher in NCDOT RP 2019-98: Rail Network Trespass Statewide Severity Assessment and Predictive Modeling (link). Chris Vaughan is a research scholar who specializes in data collection, analysis, and the implementation of novel techniques in data collection and processing, including machine learning and adaptive data transcription. In addition to these core research staff, the team will be supported by other staff and students who bring expertise in applied methods and coursework.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $204426
• Sponsor Organizations:

  North Carolina Department of Transportation

  Research and Development
  1549 Mail Service Center
  Raleigh, NC  United States  27699-1549
• Managing Organizations:

  North Carolina Department of Transportation

  Research and Development
  1549 Mail Service Center
  Raleigh, NC  United States  27699-1549
• Project Managers:

  Bryant, Catherine

• Performing Organizations:

  North Carolina State University, Raleigh

  Institute for Transportation Research and Education
  Campus Box 8601
  Raleigh, NC  United States  27695-8601
• Principal Investigators:

  Findley, Daniel

• Start Date: 20240801
• Expected Completion Date: 20260731
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Data collection; Highway safety; Location; Methodology; Railroad grade crossings; Railroad safety
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Planning and Forecasting; Railroads; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01937049
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: North Carolina Department of Transportation
• Files: RIP, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Nov 15 2024 4:11PM