Enhanced Sign Systems at Passive Highway-Railroad Grade Crossings

Passive crossings lack train-activated signals or gates to warn of an approaching train. Traffic control devices at passive crossings include advance warning signs, pavement markings, and crossbucks at the crossing locations. Approximately 58 percent of the public highway-railroad grade crossings inTexas (7160 crossings) are classified as passive crossings. Project 0-1881 evaluated enhanced sign systems to increase driver awareness of passive highway-railroad grade crossings, with the premise that increased awareness would result in more cautious behavior when drivers approached gradecrossings. The enhanced sign systems devices were previously developed in Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Project 0-1469. In that project, enhanced sign systems yielded positive results and showed promise for improving safety at passive grade crossings. Project 0-1469 recommendations included validating results by implementing the enhanced sign systems at rural passive highway-railroad grade crossings, specifically at those crossings scheduled to be upgraded to active control. Project 0-1881fulfilled that recommendation.