R930-5-6. Design of a Highway-Rail Grade Crossing

(1) The Department shall approve or disapprove, as appropriate, the design of all Crossing improvements, including the addition of a new Crossing and treatments for a closed Crossing. All design plans shall include, if available:

(i) USDOT identification numbers;

(ii) Street addresses;

(iii) Highway milepost;

(iv) Railroad subdivision; and

(v) Railroad milepost for the Crossing.

(2) Design of Crossing related facilities that are the responsibility of the Railroad shall conform to the specifications and design standards of the Railroad.

(3) Design of Crossing related Highway approaches, those areas two feet outside of rail that are the responsibility of the Highway Authority shall conform to the specifications and design standards of the Highway Authority, subject to approval by the Department. Where a Highway Authority does not have an approved standard, Department standard drawings for the design of the Crossing approaches apply.

(4) Traffic control devices installed as part of any Crossing improvements shall comply with the MUTCD. Required clearances for all devices shall conform to the MUTCD and any variances from MUTCD requirements must be approved by the Department.

(5) When it is determined that the railroad crossing material needs to be extended or replaced, the agency doing the design of the crossing shall determine the minimum length of the crossing material. The length shall be determined based on the proposed width of the new roadway or from the approved master plan roadway width. The crossing material length shall extend at least two feet from the outer edge of the roadway, beyond the roadway clear zone area, or to the back of the concrete curb and gutter or out past the sidewalks.

(6) The Railroad is responsible for the design of Railroad Active Warning Devices, including the location, activation circuitry, hardware, and software in accordance with MUTCD.

(a) When Active Warning Devices are within 200 feet of a traffic signal, the Highway Authority and the Railroad shall coordinate the design of the interconnect between the traffic signal and Automatic Warning Device to ensure sufficient preemption time to clear potential vehicle stacking across a Crossing.

(b) Signal houses for Active Warning Devices shall be located in the Neutral Quadrant unless approved by the Department.

(7) The Railroad is responsible for the design of all required Railroad Passive Warning Devices located within the Railroad road right-of-way in accordance with the MUTCD, specific Passive Warning Devices include:

(a) Sign R15-1 (Crossbuck);

(b) Sign R15-2 (Number of tracks);

(c) Sign R1-1 (STOP);

(d) Sign R1-2 (Yield);

(e) Sign R15-3 (Exempt);

(f) Sign R8-9 (Tracks out of Service).

(8) Design and installation of all other Passive Warning Devices, signs, and pavement markings is the responsibility of the Highway Authority. Design and location of the devices shall be in accordance with the MUTCD.

(9) For clearances, refer to the Manual for Railway Engineering, Chapter 28, Clearances, American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA), 2007.