Recommendations for KYTC’s Railway/Highway At-Grade Crossing Surface Management Practices

An ideal Railway/Highway At-Grade Crossing Management program involves selecting costeffective practices when designing new crossings and rehabilitating existing crossings. This report outlines two strategies to enhance KYTC’s existing program. First, it describes a process that uses decision-option diagrams to optimize the assessment and implementation of engineering solutions in order to restore desired smoothness, minimize settlement in the postconstruction phase, and foster acceptable long-term performance of crossings following their rehabilitation. Decision-option diagrams rely on assessments that are site-specific and based on historical performance, the present observed performance and condition, and the measureable parameters specific to particular crossings. To supplement this process, the second strategy that this report proposes is the establishment of an effective managerial structure at KYTC that streamlines decision-making to ensure that the selected design is properly applied and implemented. Taken together, these proposals will significantly improve the state’s ability to systematically and cost-effectively repair deteriorated crossings.