Removal of Grade Separation Structures

The FRA data indicates as of 2017, there were approximately 36,000 public grade-separated highway-rail crossings in the United States—more than half of these grade-separated crossings have a bridge or highway structure over the railroad tracks. As these structures age, become damaged, or are no longer needed because of changes in highway or railroad alignment, an engineering evaluation should be performed to determine whether the structures should be upgraded or removed. Currently, there are no nationally recognized guidelines for evaluating the alternatives available for the improvement or replacement of grade-separation structures; however, some States have developed evaluation methods for the selection of projects to remove grade-separation structures. State Level Guidance—Pennsylvania The purpose of the Pennsylvania guidance is to assist highway department personnel in the selection of candidate bridge removal projects where the railroad line is abandoned. Both bridges carrying highway over railroad and bridges carrying abandoned railroad over highway can be considered. The factors to be considered in selecting candidate projects are as follows: For bridges carrying highway over an abandoned railroad:

•Bridges that are closed or posted for a weight limit because of structural deficiencies (the length of the necessary detour is important)

•Bridges that are narrow and therefore hazardous

•Bridges with hazardous vertical and/or horizontal alignment of the highway approaches (accident records can be reviewed to verify such conditions) For bridges carrying abandoned railroad over a highway:

•Bridges that are structurally unsound and a hazard to traffic operating under the bridge

•Bridges whose piers and/or abutments are near the traveled highway and constitute a hazard

•Bridges whose vertical clearance over the highway is substandard

•Bridges where the vertical and/or horizontal alignment of the highway approaches are hazardous primarily because of the location of the bridge It should be noted that this guidance is applicable to situations that involve abandoned rail lines. In instances where a railroad continues to operate, some questions to consider prior to removing a grade separation over or under a rail line are as follows:

•Can the structure be removed and replaced with a crossing?

•Who is liable if an accident occurs at the new crossing?

•If the structure is to be rebuilt, who is to pay the cost or who is to share in the cost and to what extent?

•To what standards is the structure to be rebuilt?

•What is the future track use and potential for increase in train frequency?

•If the structure is replaced with a crossing, what delays to motorists and emergency service will result? Are alternate routes available?

•What impact will a crossing have on railroad operations?

•What will be the impact on safety of a crossing versus a structure? To ensure a proper answer to these and other related questions, an engineering evaluation, including relative costs, should be conducted. This evaluation should follow procedures described in Chapter 3 of this document.