FRA 17-04
Contact: Steve Kulm
Tel.: (202) 493-6024
Wednesday, October 13, 2004
Ohio Receives Grant to Demonstrate New Safety Equipment
at High-Risk Highway-Rail Grade Crossing
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has awarded a $497,050 grant to the
Ohio Rail Development Commission (ORDC) to test safety equipment that block all
lanes of traffic at a high-risk highway-rail grade crossing.
The device is comprised of a single, long gate arm that extends across the
entire width of the roadway. Once lowered, the far end of the gate arm is
secured in a locking device on the opposite side of the road making it nearly
impossible for a vehicle to drive around it.
The gate arm is designed to be energy absorbent, using galvanized steel cables
to “catch the vehicle” and prevent it from entering the crossing. It can
effectively stop a two-ton truck traveling at 45 miles per hour.
This technology has been used as a traffic safety device at drawbridges for over
30-years, but only recently is it being tested for use at highway-rail grade
crossings.
“The number of grade crossing collisions, fatalities, and injuries are all down
significantly, but there are still too many vehicle-train accidents occurring,”
said Acting FRA Administrator Betty Monro. “We are committed to further reducing
these incidents through the testing and application of advanced life-saving
technologies.”
The grant agreement provides for the installation of this equipment at a yet to
be determined high-risk grade crossing along the Norfolk Southern rail line
between Cleveland and Delta (west of Toledo). This line currently handles about
80 trains a day and is part of a federally designated corridor that may one day
support high-speed rail operations.
ORDC will assess the mechanical functionality of the system in all weather
conditions and will evaluate motorist and pedestrian reaction to its operation.
The grant is being made under the FRA Next Generation High-Speed Rail Program.