Section 5: DOT/AAR Grade Crossing Inventory
Anchor: #i1000002Background
The United States Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Association of American Railroads (AAR) developed the National Rail-Highway Crossing Inventory in the early 1970s. It was developed with the cooperative effort of the Federal Highway Administration, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), individual states, and individual railroads. All at-grade and grade-separated crossings, both public and private, in the United States were surveyed, and data were recorded on inventory forms. The inventory contains data on the location of each crossing, the amount and type of train traffic, traffic control devices, and other physical elements of the highway-rail intersection.
NOTE: TxDOT maintains its own inventory as well, with many of the same types of data found in the national inventory.
Anchor: #i1000017Identification Numbering System
Each crossing listed in the national inventory is assigned a unique identification number consisting of six numeric characters and an alphabetic character.
EXAMPLE: 123456A
The crossing identification number (DOT No.) was originally installed at each crossing by nailing or strapping a temporary tag to a crossbuck or flashing light post. Today, the more common practice with the railroads is to stencil the number on the warning device support post.
Anchor: #i1000037Maintenance of the Inventory System
The FRA voluntarily serves as custodian of the national inventory file. Data in the inventory are kept current through the voluntary submission of information by the states and railroads. Numerous states and railroads update the national inventory. Systematic and uniform procedures are required to assist the FRA in processing the data.
The data contained in the national inventory and state inventory should be verified in the field by appropriate engineering studies. The national inventory is used not only by the states and railroads in conducting their crossing improvement programs, but also by national and federal agencies in assessing crossing improvement needs and conducting research. Thus, it is vital that this valuable information be kept up-to-date.
Districts should make periodic reviews of all public crossings in their districts to ensure that information reported in the inventory is reasonably accurate. Districts should recommend deletions or additions based on discrepancies or changes in vehicle traffic, rail traffic, type of warning device in place, or accident data reported in the inventory. Railroad companies also have the opportunity to make recommendations and corrections.
Railroad companies and local governments should coordinate updates to the crossing inventory through the district offices. Local governmental entities may request that traffic counts be conducted by the district offices at any public highway-rail grade crossing. All updates to the crossing inventory should be forwarded to TxDOT’s Transportation Planning and Programming Division (TPP) and to the Traffic Operations Division (TRF) in Austin. TPP is the office of record for all updates to the DOT/AAR Grade Crossing Inventory and is responsible for coordinating these updates with the railroad companies and the FRA.