ICC issues five-year rail crossing safety improvement plan
Written by jrood
The Illinois Commerce Commission approved the FY 2011-2015 Crossing Safety Improvement Program 5-Year Plan this month. The 5-Year Plan includes nearly $200 million in assistance from the Grade Crossing Protection Fund for safety improvements at more than 2,200 highway-rail crossings of roads and streets across the state in the next five years.
The scope of the projects
included in the Five-Year Plan range from automatic flashing light and signal
upgrades, which can cost nearly $200,000 each, to multi-million dollar grade
separation (bridge or tunnel) projects. For
the fiscal year 2011 alone, the Plan includes $39.1 million in assistance from
the GCPF for five bridge projects and 125 new grade crossing projects. For fiscal years 2012-2015, the Plan
includes nearly $157.4 million in GCPF assistance for 20 bridge projects and 1,788
new grade crossing projects.
Low cost improvements, such
as the installation of new reflective crossbuck warning signs and Yield signs
at crossings that do not require automatic warning devices and the modification
of existing remote monitoring devices at crossings equipped with active warning
devices, also are included in the Plan.
The annual Five-Year Plan
outlines the statutory obligation and goals for improving public safety at rail
crossings across the state. With
its focus squarely on the "Three E’s" (Education, Enforcement and Engineering),
the Commission orders safety improvements at public highway-rail crossings with
the cost of such improvements paid for using funds from the state’s Grade
Crossing Protection Fund, the railroads and local governments.
The Illinois General
Assembly created the Grade Crossing Protection Fund to support the majority of
the cost of improvements at highway-rail grade crossings and highway-rail
bridge crossings involving local roads and streets.
The report, "Crossing Safety Improvement Plan," is
posted on the ICC’s website at: http://www.icc.illinois.gov/.
