About ITE

Railroad Grade Crossing Committee

Chair: Karen Hankinson, Olsson, Irvine, CA, USARailroad Crossing Signal

Vice Chair: Nicole Jackson, Alfred Benesch & Company, Fort Worth, TX, USA

Secretary: Maryam Hedayati, Transport Canada, Nepean, ON, Canada

 

Mission

To share current information on best practices in highway-rail grade crossing safety and operational treatments between members and other interested parties.

Background

The Traffic Engineering Council established Railroad Grade Crossing Committee for the purpose of assembling Federal, State, and Local jurisdictional information on existing warrants, policies, and regulations governing selection of various alternative traffic control treatments and devices at highway-railroad grade crossings and to synthesize this information and make it available to practitioners.

The Committee provides a venue for ITE to develop an up-to-date resources to supplement the U.S. Department of Transportation's Highway-Rail Crossing Handbook, 3rd Edition and ITE’s Preemption of Traffic Signals Near Railroad Grade Crossings, 2nd Edition recommended practice as well as to provide more recent information relevant to practitioners involved in the selection and/or design of railroad grade crossing traffic control devices. Committee members are active in developing and applying best practices and standards for grade crossing safety, design, and operation through various venues including participation on the National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, sponsoring webinars, workshops, and sessions on grade crossing issues at ITE meetings, and actively participating in the field as public sector, private sector, or institutional professionals.

To become a member, please add yourself to the Railroad Grade Crossing Committee’s ITE e-Community. (available to ITE members only). You are encouraged to participate in the e-Community as a forum where researchers and practitioners can share and discuss materials relevant to the railroad grade crossing recent publications and studies, where new information can be tracked, and where emerging practices can be discussed. Examples include the development of preemption spreadsheets, hazard index calculations, and sample diagnostic team evaluation reports. The Railroad Grade Crossing e-Community provides a location where agencies can share their established procedures and users can have a centralized location for discussion of railroad grade crossings resources.

Committee Meeting Minutes, Webinars, Presentations, Publications

The Committee usually meets in person twice a year: in January in conjunction with the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. and in July/August during the ITE Annual Meeting and Exhibit.

January 23, 2025 Meeting Agenda

July 2024 Meeting | October 2024 Meeting 

Prior Meeting Archive

Index of Past Conference Presentations

For more information and availability please contact Douglas Noble (dnoble@ite.org)

Quick Bites: 

Track Angle of Railroad Grade Crossings Effect on Bicycles

Two-Way Separated Bike Lanes at  Railroad Grade 

Webinar(s): Introduction to the New Highway-Rail Crossing Handbook, 3rd Edition (on-demand)

Traffic Signal - Railroad Grade Crossing Preemption Resources

Various factors contribute to the safety of a highway rail grade crossing near an intersection controlled by a traffic signal, a key factor being railroad preemption of the traffic signal. This section provides useful information for practitioners to understand the key elements of preemption as well as worksheets to calculate adequate advanced warning and preemption time.

Preemption of Traffic Signals Near RR Grade Crossings 2nd Edition Cover

Seven Points Every Traffic Engineer Should Know About Rail Preemption Installations by Brent D. Ogden provides an introduction for those less familiar with this aspect of traffic signal design, timing, and operation. The ITE recommended practice Preemption of Traffic Signals Near Railroad Grade Crossings, 2nd Edition offers detailed content and guidance regarding the topic.

Sample Preemption Forms

Knowing how much preemption time is needed is a key factor in timing traffic signals near highway-rail at-grade crossings. The following forms and instructions provide methodology and worksheets to determine the adequate amount of preemption and advance preemption time needed. (Note: Some links may download in excel or zip format to preserve file attributes.)

Caltrans

City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation

Minnesota DOT

North Carolina DOT

Ohio DOT

Texas Department of Transportation

Utah Deportment of Transportation

Washington State DOT

 

Resources Grade Crossing Reference Information NCUTCD Proposed Revisions to Part 8 of the MUTCD