2 Del. Admin. Code § 8A.02

Current through Register Vol. 28, No. 5, November 1, 2024

Section 8A.02 - Use of Standard Devices, Systems, and Practices at Highway-Rail Grade Crossings

Support:

01 Because of the large number of significant variables to be considered, no single standard system of traffic control devices is universally applicable for all highway-rail grade crossings.

Guidance:

02 The appropriate traffic control system to be used at a highway-rail grade crossing should be determined by an engineering study involving both the highway agency and the railroad company.

Option:

03 The engineering study may include the Highway-Rail Intersection (HRI) components of the National Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) architecture, which is a USDOT accepted method for linking the highway, vehicles, and traffic management systems with rail operations and wayside equipment.

Support:

04 More detail on Highway-Rail Intersection components is available from the USDOT's Federal Railroad Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20590, or www.fra.dot.gov.

Standard:

05 Traffic control devices, systems, and practices shall be consistent with the design and application of the Standards contained in this Manual.

06 Before any new highway-rail grade crossing traffic control system is installed or before modifications are made to an existing system, approval shall be obtained from the highway agency with the jurisdictional and/or statutory authority, and from the railroad company.

06A (DE Revision) The installation and maintenance of signs, signals and other traffic control devices installed within the railroad right-of-way shall be the responsibility of the railroad company.

Guidance:

07 To stimulate effective responses from road users, these devices, systems, and practices should use the five basic considerations employed generally for traffic control devices and described fully in Section 1A.02: design, placement, operation, maintenance, and uniformity.

Support:

08 Many other details of highway-rail grade crossing traffic control systems that are not set forth in Part 8 are contained in the publications listed in Section 1A.11, including the "2000 AREMA Communications & Signals Manual" published by the American Railway Engineering & Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA) and the 2006 edition of "Preemption of Traffic Signals Near Railroad Crossings" published by the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE).

2 Del. Admin. Code § 8A.02