Original: Like nothing before, the Billups signal was a large gantry spanning the highway and was likely the first such use of a gantry-style crossing of the type now in relatively common use.
Simplified: The Billups signal was built like a giant steel gantry which went up and over the entire highway. This is similar to crossing signals used today in North America; Mr. Billups' signal may have been the very first time such a signal was built.