Oklahoma’s US$100 million rail crossings upgrade

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) is to fast-track hundreds of projects to improve more than 300 rail crossings state-wide and upgrade safety warning features on rail crossings across the state. Many of these crossings have only rail crossing signs or faint pavement markings and no flashing lights or cross arms to serve as additional warning for motorists of oncoming trains. According to ODOT, of the more than 3,700 at-grade rail crossings in the state, many have some level of recognised d
August 28, 2014 Read time: 2 mins

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation (784 ODOT) is to fast-track hundreds of projects to improve more than 300 rail crossings state-wide and upgrade safety warning features on rail crossings across the state. Many of these crossings have only rail crossing signs or faint pavement markings and no flashing lights or cross arms to serve as additional warning for motorists of oncoming trains.

According to ODOT, of the more than 3,700 at-grade rail crossings in the state, many have some level of recognised deficiencies when it comes to rail crossing safety. Most of the crossings are on local roads but the department remains involved because of overall rail safety.

ODOT anticipates the rail crossings can be modernised and greatly improved by adding rail safety infrastructure such as high-visibility signage, cross bucks, gates, hazard lighting and pavement markings.

The improvements are being funded by combining proceeds from the recent sale of the Sooner Sub rail line in addition to dedicated rail safety funds from ODOT and other partners.

"The department has long recognised the great need for improving rail crossings on the state, county and local transportation system. Now with the influx of funding available from the sale of the Sooner Sub rail line, we are excited to use this money to expedite the process of improving safety along rail systems across the state," ODOT executive director Mike Patterson said.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Value of time – the key decider
    March 4, 2014
    The ‘value of time’ concept can be a vital decider in prioritising transport projects, as Lorenzo Casullo and Serbjeet Kohli of Steer Davies Gleave explain. How much do travellers value their time and how much would they be willing to pay for a better and faster transport option? For many years Steer Davies Gleave (SDG) has been collecting this type of information from thousands of people across the world as it researches travellers’ behaviour. And given the importance of this parameter for transport mo
    Read More
  • euroFOT study demonstrates benefits of driver assistance systems
    June 26, 2012
    Today, the euroFOT consortium published the findings of a four-year study focused on the impact of driver assistance systems in the Europe. The €22 million (US$27.5 million) European Field Operational Test (euroFOT) project which began in June 2008 and involved 28 companies and organisations, was led by Aria Etemad from Ford’s European Research Centre in Aachen, Germany. The study looked at existing technologies and their potential to both enhance safety and reduce environmental impact. euroFOT also reveale
    Read More
  • Single system simplicity for smarter city transport
    February 23, 2017
    All encompassing, city-wide transport monitoring and control systems are beginning to make their way onto the market, as Colin Sowman hears. The futuristic vision of cities where everything is connected and operated with maximum efficiency by a gigantic computer remains a distant prospect but related sectors and services are beginning to coalesce: transport monitoring and control for instance.
    Read More
  • Study: Consumers do not understand vehicle safety features
    August 14, 2015
    A new study by the University of Iowa found that a majority of drivers expressed uncertainty about how many potentially life-saving vehicle safety technologies work. The survey also showed that 40 per cent of drivers report that their vehicles have acted or behaved in unexpected ways. The study, conducted by the University of Iowa Transportation and Vehicle Safety Research Division, examined drivers' knowledge of vehicle safety systems, as well as their understanding and use of defensive driving techniqu
    Read More

Highlighted Content