Develop an Improved Selection Methodology for Safety Improvements at Public Highway-Railroad Grade Crossings Project

The Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) currently prioritizes highway-rail grade crossing safety improvement projects and funding through a benefit-cost analysis (BCA) methodology developed by department staff in 2006. The current evaluation methodology using the benefit-cost ratio includes highway and grade crossing characteristics, highway and train traffic, accident history, societal costs, and anticipated cost of improvements. The purpose of this research was for the Iowa DOT Office of Rail Transportation to identify other variables and approaches in use by other states that the current methodology does not include, and investigate if appropriate data and methods of analysis are utilized to identify grade crossings in Iowa that are most in need of future improvements and would receive the most benefits from the limited Section 130 funding. Interviews of Iowa DOT and other state DOT staff, stakeholder survey, a Class I railroad presentation, coordination with a Technical Advisory Committee, and evaluation of the current Iowa DOT methodology and a literature review of select resources were used to develop findings, conclusions, and recommendations. From these recommendations, Iowa DOT selected a final project workplan for implementation, which included an analysis of hazard ranking practices and models used by other states to determine the best-fit and approach for Iowa (the current Texas Model was selected by Iowa DOT), development of a database / hazard ranking spreadsheet tool that is supported by the most recent FRA crash and Iowa grade crossing inventory data available to Iowa DOT and a companion project prioritization spreadsheet tool, and identification of additional datasets for identifying and prioritizing grade crossing investments in the future and potential actionable strategic program and policy changes that could improve the facilitation of the Iowa Section 130 program in Iowa in the future.

• Record URL:
  http://publications.iowa.gov/28265/1/TR-732_Final Report_Develop an Improved Selection Methodology for Safety Improvements.PDF
• 
• Corporate Authors:

  HDR Engineering, Incorporated

  8404 Indian Hills Drive
  Omaha, NE  United States  68114-4049

  Iowa Highway Research Board

  Iowa Department of Transportation
  800 Lincoln Way
  Ames, IA  United States  50010
• Authors:
  • Goepel, Chris
  • 0000-0001-7475-1841
  • Williges, Chris
  • 0000-0001-6663-5461
  • Storm, Richard
  • 0000-0001-7075-3145
  • Markt, Jonathan
  • 0000-0003-2842-5126
  • Kouznetsov, Serguei
  • 0000-0001-9621-1686
  • Brinic, Victor
  • 0000-0001-9594-8141
  • Wu, Stanley
  • 0000-0001-8887-7816
  • Klaumann, Anthony
  • 0000-0002-7512-8856
• Publication Date: 2018-9

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Appendices; Figures; Maps; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 130p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Benefit cost analysis; Government funding; Highway planning; Highway safety; Improvements; Methodology; Railroad grade crossings; Railroad safety; Strategic planning
• Identifier Terms: Iowa Department of Transportation; U.S. Federal Highway Administration; U.S. Federal Railroad Administration
• Geographic Terms: Iowa
• Subject Areas: Economics; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Railroads;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01687490
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: Iowa Highway Research Board Project Number TR-732, HDR Engineering, Inc. Project Number 10068795
• Contract Numbers: IHRB Contract No. 4730N
• Files: TRIS, ATRI, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Nov 30 2018 5:05PM