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                Highway-Rail Crossing Handbook - Third Edition
fhwasa18040v2.pdf (19.55 MB)


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Safe Roads for a Safer Future Logo

FHWA-SA-18-040

FOREWORD

The Highway-Rail Crossing Handbook, 3rd Edition (Handbook) has been prepared to disseminate current practices and requirements for developing engineering treatments for highway-rail grade crossings (referred to herein as "crossings"). The Handbook is intended to provide practitioners of all levels of knowledge and experience with critical background information and "noteworthy practices" consistent with the 2009 Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways (MUTCD) and more recent guidance developed by recognized subject matter experts. This edition constitutes a substantial update to and revision of the 2007 Handbook and efforts have been made to reorganize the contents. This edition includes "hotlinks" to facilitate navigation and access external information available on the web.

Notice

This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The U.S. Government assumes no liability for the use of the information contained in this document. This document does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation and the contents of this document do not necessarily reflect official policy of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

This document contains images that are shown for illustration purposes only. For specific requirements, please refer to the 2009 edition of the *Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways*.

The U.S. Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trademarks or manufacturers' names appear in this report only because they are considered essential to the objective of the document.

Quality Assurance Statement

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) provide high-quality information to serve Government, industry, and the public in a manner that promotes public understanding. Standards and policies are used to ensure and maximize the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of its information. The FHWA and FRA periodically review quality issues and adjusts their programs and processes to ensure continuous quality improvement.

TECHNICAL REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE (FORM DOT F 1700.7)

Technical Report Documentation Page

**1. Report No.** FHWA-SA-18-040/FRA-RRS-18-001
			**2. Government Accession No.**
			**3. Recipient's Catalog No.****4. Title and Subtitle***Highway-Rail Crossing Handbook, 3rd Edition*
			**5. Report Date**
			July 2019**6. Performing Organization Code****7. Author(s)**
			Brent D. Ogden, Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc.
			Chelsey Cooper, Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc.
			**8. Performing Organization Report No.****9. Performing Organization Name and Address**
			Institute of Transportation Engineers
			1617 Eye Street NW, Suite 600
			Washington, DC 20006
			**10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS)****11. Contract or Grant No.**
			TFH61-13-D-00026**12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address**
			Office of Safety Design
			Federal Highway Administration
			1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
			Washington, DC 20590
			Federal Railroad Administration
			1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
			Washington, DC 20590
			**13. Type of Report and Period Covered****14. Sponsoring Agency Code****15. Supplementary Notes:**
			FHWA Contracting Officer's Task Order Manager: Kelly Morton; FRA Task Order Manager: Debra Chappell;
			ITE Project Manager: Lisa Fontana Tierney; ITE Technical Publications Manager: Deborah Rouse.**16. Abstract** The purpose of the *Highway-Rail Crossing Handbook, 3rd Edition* is an information resource developed to provide a unified reference document on prevalent and best practices as well as adopted standards relative to highway-rail grade crossings. The handbook provides general information on highway-rail crossings; characteristics of the crossing environment and users; and physical and operational changes that can be made at crossings to enhance the safety and operation of both highway and rail traffic over such intersections. The guidelines identified and potential alternative improvements presented in this handbook reflect current best practices nationwide.
			This handbook supersedes the *Railroad-Highway Grade Crossing Handbook–Revised Second Edition* published in August 2007. This version includes a compendium of materials that were included in the previous one, supplemented with new information and applicable regulations in force that were available at the time of the update.**17. Key Words**
			Grade Crossing, Railroad, Traffic Control, Crossing Safety
			**18. Distribution Statement**
			Grade Crossing, Railroad, Traffic Control, Crossing Safety**19. Security Classif. (of this report)**
			Unclassified
			**20. Security Classif. (of this page)**
			Unclassified
			**21. No. of Pages**
			250
			**22. Price****Form DOT F 1700.7** (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized



**SI* (MODERN METRIC) CONVERSION FACTORS**

The standard SI* (MODERN METRIC) CONVERSION FACTORS table is included here in this document, containing the approximate conversion factors to and from SI units. The table itself is available in 508 compliant HTML at the following URL: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/convtabl.cfm
      
  CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION
                CHAPTER 2. ENGINEERED TREATMENTS
                CHAPTER 2. ENGINEERED TREATMENTS - Part 2
                CHAPTER 2. ENGINEERED TREATMENTS - Part 3
                CHAPTER 2. ENGINEERED TREATMENTS - Part 4
                CHAPTER 2. ENGINEERED TREATMENTS - Part 5
                CHAPTER 2. ENGINEERED TREATMENTS – Part 6
                CHAPTER 3. TREATMENT SELECTION GUIDANCE
                CHAPTER 4. PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION
                CHAPTER 5. MAINTENANCE, MANAGEMENT, AND OPERATIONS
                CHAPTER 6. SPECIAL TOPICS
                A. APPENDIX–BACKGROUND
                B. APPENDIX–COMPONENTS OF A HIGHWAY-RAIL GRADE CROSSING
                C. APPENDIX–ASSESSMENT OF CROSSING SAFETY AND OPERATION
                D. APPENDIX–DIAGNOSTIC TEAM CROSSING EVALUATION REPORTING EXAMPLES FROM STATES
                E. APPENDIX–PREEMPTION CALCULATION PROCEDURES, EXAMPLE FROM STATE OF TEXAS
                REFERENCES
                LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLSBook traversal links for Highway-Rail Crossing Handbook - Third Edition
      CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ›
                
                Book:Highway-Rail Crossing Handbook - Third Edition
              CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION
                CHAPTER 2. ENGINEERED TREATMENTS
                CHAPTER 2. ENGINEERED TREATMENTS - Part 2
                CHAPTER 2. ENGINEERED TREATMENTS - Part 3
                CHAPTER 2. ENGINEERED TREATMENTS - Part 4
                CHAPTER 2. ENGINEERED TREATMENTS - Part 5
                CHAPTER 2. ENGINEERED TREATMENTS – Part 6
                CHAPTER 3. TREATMENT SELECTION GUIDANCE
                CHAPTER 4. PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION
                CHAPTER 5. MAINTENANCE, MANAGEMENT, AND OPERATIONS
                CHAPTER 6. SPECIAL TOPICS
                A. APPENDIX–BACKGROUND
                B. APPENDIX–COMPONENTS OF A HIGHWAY-RAIL GRADE CROSSING
                C. APPENDIX–ASSESSMENT OF CROSSING SAFETY AND OPERATION
                D. APPENDIX–DIAGNOSTIC TEAM CROSSING EVALUATION REPORTING EXAMPLES FROM STATES
                E. APPENDIX–PREEMPTION CALCULATION PROCEDURES, EXAMPLE FROM STATE OF TEXAS
                REFERENCES
                LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

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