Planning and Design for Prevention of Incorrect Turns onto Highway-Rail Grade Crossings

Abstract

In recent years, a number of injuries and fatal collisions have occurred at certain highway-rail grade crossings located adjacent to highway intersections, driveways, or freeway on-ramps. Some guide signage, pavement markings, and other traffic control devices currently present at the crossings may have confused drivers and caused them to turn onto the railroad tracks rather than at the nearby intersections, driveways, or freeway on-ramps. Due to limited research in this new area of prevention of incorrect turns at highway-rail grade crossings, a research project was sponsored by the National Center for Transit Research and Florida Department of Transportation to seek cost-effective solutions. This paper first provides an intensive literature review to identify available sources of information and best practices throughout the world for innovative and cost-effective infrastructure treatments. It then presents analysis of the contributing causes of crashes that occurred in the past and offers a set of countermeasures for planning and design aimed at improving incorrect turns at highway-rail grade crossings.