WHEREAS, the USDOT designated the Charlotte-Raleigh-Richmond-Washington railroad corridor for future high speed rail development in 1992; and

WHEREAS, the North Carolina Board of Transportation approved a resolution at its meeting on December 3, 1993 directing that any new intersection of the Federally-Designated High Speed Rail Corridor be grade separated and supporting the closure of redundant and/or unsafe highway/rail at-grade crossings on this route; and

WHEREAS, the North Carolina Board of Transportation approved a resolution at its meeting on October 6, 1995, directing that the number of highway/rail at-grade crossings be reduced on the State Highway System, adopted procedures by which to do so, and encouraged municipalities to implement crossing consolidation projects; and

WHEREAS, eight railroad corridors have been designated nationally by USDOT, one being the Southeast Corridor, which has been formally acknowledged by the North Carolina Board of Transportation as part of the Department of Transportation's comprehensive transportation plan; and

WHEREAS, utilization of our rail network offers significant economic development, environmental, and safety benefits, and is a solution to increasing highway congestion; and WHEREAS, public safety is a prime objective of the North Carolina Department of Transportation in planning and improving transportation facilities; and

WHEREAS, rail-highway at-grade crossings are a significant obstacle to the safe and efficient movement of passenger and freight traffic; and

WHEREAS, preservation of these railroad corridors for future high speed rail use and future transit use requires that the integrity of the rights of way be maintained; and

WHEREAS, that safety and integrity would be diminished with each additional at-grade crossing limiting the ability of the corridor to serve these useful purposes for present and future users; and

WHEREAS, it is in the public interest for the Department of Transportation to adopt and implement policies that reduce the number of at-grade crossings, and

WHEREAS, grade separated intersections eliminate the possibility of collisions and the resulting accidents and fatalities.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT:

1. The North Carolina Board of Transportation directs that any new highway/railroad intersection of the Southeast Corridor be grade separated with an overpass or underpass.

2. The North Carolina Department of Transportation will propose new grade separations of highway intersections of the Southeast Corridor in Transportation Plans and on Thoroughfare Plan maps as part of the transportation planning process.

3. The Department requests that operating railroads, transit/transportation authorities, and local governments along these corridors strongly discourage new crossings in adopted plans, zoning changes, site plan approvals, and building construction approvals.

4. The Department will strongly discourage the widening of existing at-grade crossings. Every effort will be made to provide grade-separated alternatives to or enhanced warning or traffic control devices (four-quadrant gates, median barriers, longer gate arms, intelligent signal systems) as a part of the widening of existing highway/rail at-grade crossings to accommodate additional travel lanes where the crossing exposure index exceeds those listed in the Rail Grade Separation Guidelines adopted by the Board of Transportation on December 5, 1994. Replacement of the at-grade crossing with a grade separation will be evaluated and considered as part of the planning and engineering process.

5. The Department will work with local governments and transit/transportation authorities to reduce the existing number of at-grade crossings to the minimum number possible along the Southeast Corridor through the Transportation Planning and Traffic Separation Study process.

6. Traffic Separation Studies may recommend the relocation and reconstruction of at-grade crossings of the Southeast Corridor only when they meet near term safety needs, mitigate the closure of multiple crossings as part of a comprehensive safety improvement project, and are equipped with enhanced warning and traffic control devices. Right of way should be preserved as part of such projects to allow for eventual grade separations when train speeds exceed 90 miles per hour.

7.The Department will encourage local governments to provide for land development that is harmonious with the development of the Southeast Corridor and future high speed rail and transit options.

8.The Department will employ a program of financial and other incentives and disincentives in working with operating railroads, transit/transportation authorities, and local governments to reduce the overall number of at-grade crings on the Southeast Corridor.

This , the 26th day of August, 1998.

Contact: Paul Worley

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