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Windsor Highway-Rail Crossing Safety Study

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Windsor Highway-Rail Crossing Safety Study WINDSOR HIGHWAY-RAIL CROSSING SAFETY STUDY Prepared for: Town of Windsor 301 Walnut Street Windsor, Colorado 80550 Prepared by: Felsburg Holt & Ullevig 11422 Miracle Hills Drive, Suite 410 Omaha, Nebraska 68154 402-445-4405 Project Manager: Kyle A. Anderson, PE, PTOE Project Engineer: Mark D. Meisinger, PE FHU Reference No. 08-094 October 2008 Town of Windsor, CO Windsor Highway-Rail Crossing Safety Study TABLE OF CONTENTS Page I. INTRODUCTION -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 II. Existing Conditions ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 A. Corridor Visit / Data Collection--------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 B. Highway-Rail Grade Crossings -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 III. Future Conditions ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5 A. Growth Rates------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5 B. 2030 Train and Traffic Forecasts------------------------------------------------------------------------ 6 IV. Study Methodology ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7 A. Evaluation Guidelines -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7 B. Criteria for Warning Devices ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8 C. Passive Devices--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8 D. Active Devices ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9 E. Grade Separation ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------10 F. Closure--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------11 V. Crossing Safety Improvements ---------------------------------------------------------------------12 A. Recommendations -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------12 B. Immediate Safety Improvements-----------------------------------------------------------------------12 C. Active Warning Device Improvements----------------------------------------------------------------12 D. Summary of Improvements ------------------------------------------------------------------------------18 VI. Quiet Zone Requirements ----------------------------------------------------------------------------21 A. Quiet Zone Alternatives-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------22 B. Quiet Zone Establishment -------------------------------------------------------------------------------24 C. Quiet Zone Improvements -------------------------------------------------------------------------------24 D. Recommended Quiet Zone Improvements ----------------------------------------------------------25 VII. Implementation Plan ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------28 A. Funding and Oversight------------------------------------------------------------------------------------28 B. Initial Crossing Improvements --------------------------------------------------------------------------29 C. Future Crossing Improvements-------------------------------------------------------------------------29 APPENDIX A EXISTING CONDITIONS SUMMARY APPENDIX B U.S. DOT CROSSING INVENTORY SUMMARY SHEETS APPENDIX C ACCIDENT PREDITION MODEL AND SUMMARY SHEETS APPENDIX D DETAILED COST ESTIMATES APPENDIX E QUIET ZONE SUMMARY SHEETS AND COST ESTIMATES 10−08−08 Page i Town of Windsor, CO Windsor Highway-Rail Crossing Safety Study LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1. Existing Public Railroad Crossings------------------------------------------------------------------ 2 Figure 2. Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Signs --------------------------------------------------------------- 9 Figure 3. Typical Grade Seprations ----------------------------------------------------------------------------10 Figure 4. Recommended Safety Improvements-------------------------------------------------------------19 Figure 5. Comparison of Train Horn vs Wayside Horn Noise Footprint -------------------------------23 Figure 6. Highway-Rail Crossing Equipped with Wayside Horns ---------------------------------------23 LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Existing Crossing Conditions -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4 Table 2. Growth Rates ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5 Table 3. 2030 Train and ADT Forecasts ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 6 Table 4. Immediate Safety Improvements --------------------------------------------------------------------13 Table 5. Recommended Safety Improvements--------------------------------------------------------------20 Table 6. Quiet Zone Improvements-----------------------------------------------------------------------------25 Table 7. Immediate Safety Improvements by Jurisdiction ------------------------------------------------30 Table 8. Recommended Active Warning Device Improvements by Jurisdiction --------------------31 Page ii Town of Windsor, CO Windsor Highway-Rail Crossing Safety Study I. INTRODUCTION Felsburg Holt and Ullevig (FHU) has completed a safety study to evaluate and recommend improvements at 21 highway-rail grade crossings located within the Town of Windsor’s Growth Management Area. The scope of the study consists of identifying immediate action improvements that will satisfy the minimum Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) requirements for passive warning devices. Passive warning devices consist of crossbucks, advance warning signs, pavement markings and crossing information signs. Each crossing was also evaluated to determine if active warning devices should be installed based on current vehicle and train volumes and for anticipated traffic conditions in the Year 2030. The study is based upon the process and guidance provided in the Railroad-Highway Grade Crossing Handbook – revised Second Edition, August 2007, published by the FRA. The study also identifies the additional safety improvements necessary to comply with the requirements to establish a railroad Quiet Zone, as stated in the Final Rule on the Use of Locomotive Horns at Highway-Rail Grade Crossings, as amended on August 17, 2006. The evaluation and analysis of the proposed improvements are addressed in three separate sections of this report: • Existing Conditions Evaluation • Highway-Railroad Safety Improvements • Quiet Zone Improvements An evaluation of the two GWR corridors is presented in each study section, along with preliminary recommendations for safety improvements. There are two rail corridors within the Town of Windsor, the Great Western Railway (GWR) Main Line and the Greeley Line. The Greeley Line is oriented east-west through the community and the Main Line runs north-south. The lines intersect just southeast of the intersection of Highway 392 with Highway 257 on the east side of town. The GWR Main Line corridor evaluated in this study consists of the nine highway-rail grade crossings from WCR 13 south of US 34 (GWR Milepost 24.01) to Garden Drive (GWR Milepost 30.48). The GWR Greeley Line study corridor consists of the twelve highway-rail grade crossings from WCR 13 (GWR Milepost 83.85) to WCR 23.75 (GWR Milepost 90.26). The two study corridors, indicating the limits of the study area along with the 21 crossings located within the study area, are shown in Figure 1. Page 1 Town of Windsor, CO Windsor Highway-Rail Crossing Safety Study See Inset Figure 1. Existing Public Railroad Crossings Page 2 Town of Windsor, CO Windsor Highway-Rail Crossing Safety Study II. EXISTING CONDITIONS There are approximately 2 trains per day that utilize the north-south Main Line with a maximum train operating speed of 35 mph, and approximately 4 trains per day on the east-west Greeley Line with a maximum train operating speed of 20 mph. A location map of the proposed railroad quiet zone, highway-rail grade crossings, and grade separations in relation to the surrounding roadway network are shown in Figure 1. Brief summaries of each highway-rail grade crossing can be found in Appendix A, including roadway approach photos and crossing information. The U.S. DOT Crossing Inventory Summary Sheets for each study crossing can be found in Appendix B. It should be noted that some of the information provided on these crossing inventory sheets was last updated as long ago as 1981. A. Corridor Site Visit / Data Collection A site visit was conducted in April 2008 along the corridor to collect field measurements at each of the crossings identified in Table 1. FHU also collected information available from CDOT and the Town of Windsor such as aerial photographs, historical traffic count information and crash history. Railroad corridor information was collected from the GWR, including current and forecasted train movements, average train speed, and crossing circuitry. A traffic count was conducted at each crossing in April 2008 to determine the current average daily traffic volumes. B. Highway-Rail Grade Crossings Table 1 summarizes the existing conditions present at each of the highway-railroad crossings within the study area, along both the GWR Main Line and Greeley Line. The
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