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April 15, 1999

Memorandum To: James A. Smailes, P.E., Federal Railroad Administration

From: Mitch Eaton, Highway/Railroad Traffic Separation Engineer

Subject:Quarterly Report # 11, North Carolina Sealed CorridorProject: TIP Project No. P-3419; Next Generation High Speed Rail Grant

The North Carolina Department of Transportation has completed the following tasks as part of the Sealed Corridor project since our last report to you in January 1999:

  • At two median barrier locations, the Rail Division has switched out the Qwick Kurb flat delineator panels for the company’s higher impact resistant air panel delineators. The locations were selected due to the higher number of broken flat panels from vehicular impacts. The Sugar Creek Road median barrier in Charlotte is also scheduled to have the flat delineators replaced with the air panel delineators within the month.
  • The Rail Division has authorized the construction of four-quadrant gate systems at S. Elm St., Prospect St., and McGill Ave. The construction of the Mackay Rd. four- quadrant gate system is complete and the signals were put in service February 10, 1999. Four locations are still under design due to either geometric complications of the crossing or complex phasing of crossing signals with traffic signal preemption. The engineering for the E. 36th Street location in Charlotte is approved, but the Municipal Agreement for the construction of the signals has not been returned to NCDOT from the City of Charlotte.
  • The plans for the long gate arm locations are being submitted to Norfolk Southern. Ten locations have been sent to the railroad to date. The plans include construction notes for the installation of the health monitoring system. Long gate arm locations on municipal systems will require municipal agreements for the modifications of the crossing signals to include the longer gates.
  • The Ragsdale/Dillon Road crossing in Jamestown, Guilford County is being reevaluated for four-quadrant gates as opposed to longer gate arms as originally proposed. This is due to the crossing’s severe skew to the railroad tracks and the wideness of the roadway. Because of the severe skew and the orientation of the gates to be perpendicular with the roadway, the crossing signal gate tips for each approach will not fall within close proximity of each other. A short concrete median barrier is proposed to seal the gap between the gate tips.
  • The Rail Division has begun implementation with the participating municipalities on the recommendations from the Traffic Separation Study to consolidate crossings between 36th Street in Charlotte and Liberty Street in China Grove. The Rail Division has coordinated with Norfolk Southern and the City of Kannapolis for the removal of the Ebenezer St., E. Plymouth St., and E. "C" St. crossings on April 12 through April 15, 1999.
    The City of Salisbury and Norfolk Southern have removed four of the five remaining crossings that are to be closed from the Salisbury Traffic Separation Study completed in June, 1994. A total of nine crossings were recommended for closure from the study. The City of Salisbury will close the last crossing, Harrison St., upon relocation of a utility pole near the crossing.
  • The purchase requisition for the "1-800" emergency phone number signs to be used in conjunction with the "Stop Here When Flashing" signs has been submitted and are awaiting production. To simplify the production of the signs, the sign is being produced without the information for each individual crossing and the information for all the crossings is being printed on separate sheets with an adhesive backing. The information for each crossing can then be cut and placed on the signs.
  • Four-quadrant gates were constructed at the Blue Ridge Road crossing location in Raleigh, Wake County. The gates were activated for service on April 7, 1999. The improvements made at this crossing have yielded the closure of a short cut-over crossing within a quarter mile of the Blue Ridge Road crossing.
  • Field investigation work for the next phase of Sealed Corridor improvements has been completed in the Raleigh area. Seven crossings maintained by CSX Transportation have been evaluated and are part of the designated high-speed rail corridor. CSX Transportation has eagerly committed to work with the Rail Division on the implementation of sealed corridor treatments for these crossings, and engineering for the treatments is anticipated to begin this summer.
  • As part of the CLEAR Violations research into driver behavior at railroad crossings, the University of North Carolina’s Highway Safety Research Center has mailed surveys to motorists that use the Henderson Street crossing in Salisbury. The surveys are being sent to motorists that comply with the warning devices and do not try to drive around the gates. Some of the surveys are being returned and the Highway Safety Research Center has begun to evaluate the results.

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