Integrated Prioritization Method for Active and Passive Highway-Rail Crossings

This two-year research project developed a prioritization system for highway-rail at-grade crossings that addressed the following major concerns: (1) warrants to identify low-volume, passive crossings with risk factors; (2) a broader priority index that considers more variables than the original index; (3) warranting thresholds that remain valid with changes in data; and (4) a prioritization methodology capable of properly prioritizing the warranted passive crossings over high-volumes active crossings. The prioritization system combines a revised priority index based on a newly developed crash prediction equation, warrants for active warning devices at passive crossings, and a passive crossing prioritization index based on Utility Theory principles. The warranting threshold are defined in terms of cumulative percentiles rather than fixed numbers to ensure reliability as data changes. The warrants and prioritization indices were integrated into a systematic prioritization methodology capable of a generating priority list that assigns top priorities to crossings with risk factors in spite of low volumes. The deliverables will facilitate highway-rail crossing management in Texas and ensure proper consideration of low-volume crossings when applying funding mechanisms such as Section 130 funds.