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Private Crossing Safety Initiative
The NCDOT and Norfolk Southern have partnered to develop new signs to alert motorists at private railroad-highway crossings across the state.
Private Crossing Safety Initiative (PCSI) Report
Full Report (20MB PDF)
Appendix (5.2MB PDF)

Executive Summary
North Carolina Railroad Raleigh to Charlotte
October 2003

Objective
The North Carolina Department of Transportation proposes to proceed with crossing safety improvements along the Raleigh to Charlotte Sealed Corridor by closing private crossings where feasible and protecting the private crossings that will remain open with crossbucks, automatic flashers and gates, signals and locking gates. These improvements will be identified through a systematic analysis conducted on private crossings within the North Carolina Railroad Company corridor operated by the Norfolk Southern and CSX Transportation railroad companies.

These projects will be funded through grants from the Federal Railroad Administration's Next Generation High Speed Rail and Section 1103c programs. This is in addition to other ongoing projects on the corridor to close/consolidate public crossings or treat with enhanced devices.

Findings
In the preparation of this Traffic Separation Study, 46 Private Vehicular Access (PVA) points (grade crossings) on the North Carolina Railroad (NCRR)/Norfolk Southern (NS) Railroad mainline between Charlotte and Greensboro and the ‘H’ line between Greensboro and Raleigh were evaluated for conformity to grade crossing safety standards, physical attributes, feasible alternative access improvements and the possibility of either crossing closure or consolidation.  The 46 PVA’s were evaluated using the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) approved Evaluation Criteria. The evaluation of the crossings resulted in the following findings:
  1. Twenty seven (27) of the crossings serve one or more occupied residential structures or commercial/industrial operations.
  2. Many of the crossings are very poorly marked and would be hard to locate by uninformed emergency responders.
  3. Seven of the crossings are either controlled by NS or accessed by NS personnel for maintenance/operation purposes.
  4. A search of the public records in all nine counties as well as a review of the NCRR and NS archives produced 13 written agreements for private crossings on the NCRR/NS.  No written agreements were found for the three (3) crossings on the NCRR/CSXT ‘S’ Line. None of the written agreements were found to be recorded in county land records.
  5. Traffic volumes are low on most of the crossings with the Byrdsville Road crossing in Orange County having the highest estimated volume.
  6. A significant accident problem exists or has existed at only two crossings.
  7. PCSI signSight obstructions are an issue at many of the crossings. These sight obstructions take the form of foliage, buildings and/or abandoned vehicles.  The obstructions are within railroad right-of-way and should be cleared by the NCRR/NS.
  8. Most of the crossings with measurable traffic volume have been upgraded with automatic warning devices (gates, flashers and bells).
  9. All of the crossings in Wake County and 4 of 5 in Durham County will be impacted by the Regional Rail Project proposed by the Triangle Transit Authority.
  10. It appears feasible to close 10 crossings in the near-term through various public initiatives. Some of these initiatives are already underway and others are proposed as a result of this study.
  11. Long-term, an additional 11 crossings can be closed by providing alternative access and 7 can be closed by purchasing the property served by the crossing.
  12. No improvements or modifications were recommended for six (6) crossings as a result of this study.
  13. Automatic warning devices (gates and flashers) are recommended for one crossing.
  14. If all recommendations contained in this report are implemented along with other planned public or possibly private projects, 28 of the 46 crossings studied could eventually be closed. Of the remaining 18 crossings, seven are controlled by Norfolk Southern and one by the City of High Point. 
Estimated Costs
  • Near-Term upgrades or modification to crossing protection devices - $310,000 (This includes new gate/lock assemblies and near-term costs pending near-term closures).
  • Construct Near-Term alternative access - $332,000 (includes TTA costs of $272,000 in Wake County).
  • Construct Long-Term alternative access - $825,000
  • Purchase property and close crossings - $995,000
  • Total Estimated Costs - $2,462,000