Timing issues for traffic signals interconnected with highway-railroad grade crossings.

Details

• Creators:
  Datta, Tapan K. ; Gates, Timothy J. ; Savolainen, Peter T. ; Fawaz, Ahmad ; Chaudhry, Amna
• Corporate Creators:
  Wayne State University. Transportation Research Group
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  • Railroad grade crossings
  • Traffic signal control systems
  • Traffic signal preemption
  • Traffic signal timing
  • Warning signals
  • Intersections
  • Literature reviews
  • Highway-railroad grade crossings
  • Traffic signal preemption
  • Traffic signs and signals--Control systems
• Publication/ Report Number:
  RC-1578
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  Michigan
• Edition:
  Final report.
• Corporate Publisher:
  Michigan. Dept. of Transportation. Office of Research and Best Practices
• Abstract:
  The coordination of highway-railroad grade crossing warning signals with nearby traffic signals is of vital ; importance due to potential safety consequences. Interconnections between traffic signals in close ; proximity to railroad crossings provide an important safety function by allowing the railroad warning ; system to preempt the normal traffic signal operation and provide special phasing to clear vehicles ; queued over the railroad tracks, prohibit others from joining the queue, and maintaining traffic flow for ; non-conflicting traffic movements. In Michigan, there are approximately 200 interconnected highwayrailroad ; grade crossings that are all under regulatory control of the Michigan Department of ; Transportation. The MUTCD provides guidance concerning the use of preemption where the signalized ; intersection is within 200 feet of a railroad crossing. There is however, minimal guidance for locations ; where intersections are more than 200 feet beyond the railroad crossings. Some of these locations ; experience queuing problems due to high traffic volumes. The purpose of this research was to compile ; and review literature and current practices related to interconnected traffic signals and preemption in ; order to determine solutions for providing safe and efficient timings for the traffic signals and nearby ; highway-railroad grade crossing warning signals. ; A series of highway-railroad intersection configuration templates was developed as a part of this research. ; A set of guidelines was also developed with accompanying software to provide additional assistance for ; identification of possible interconnection locations that could utilize preemption concepts. The guidelines ; also assist in the determination of signal timing parameters for the phasing and timing design required as ; a part of the concept.
  More +
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  2010-0298
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/25657/dot_25657_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 4.65 MB]
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:6b3ead686b85c601f5f8e3ed1650d8876fd7400e13213d672254abeb746e0e63002fac61e8d9f295cc9432dea42942dd27ed40bf20075cf2445423eb2471f54d