There are over 200,000 highways at grade railroad crossings in the US. Railroads report that the average life of a crossing is only 7–10 years, depending on rail and road traffic loads. Some only last 3 years. Railroads repair or replace ten thousand to fifteen thousand railroad crossings each year at $50,000 to $75,000 per crossing. The annual estimated combined cost to the railroads and state departments of transportation (DOTs) can exceed $750 million to $1 billion. This high cost is typically shared by the railroads and the responsible road authority, the state, county, or local transportation department, and presents a challenge for transportation agencies across the US.

One contributing factor in road degradation at railroad crossings is the instability of the foundation of the road as currently designed. Crossing material is supported by ties and ballast. Depending on the road material used, the material is typically fastened to ties via lag screws. The heavy weight of the rail traffic causes vertical movement of the rail and ties due to track modulus or elasticity. Over time with traffic, the ballast will wear, causing the rail to sink. Compounding this constant movement, the lag screws are working in the ties along with water degradation around the lag screws, causing the lag screws to loosen. All this motion will degrade the road surface. This contributing factor is recognized by the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association Manual for Railway Engineering, Chapter 5, Section 8.4.1.

A potential solution is to separate the support for the road from the ties and ballast. This research will focus on design concepts that will move the support of the road off of the ties and translate it to the earth below the ballast and subgrade. This should provide the solid foundation the road needs to remain stable and provide a longer life. Research is needed to identify alternative road material designs that improve safety, create smoother at-grade railroad crossings, lower maintenance costs, prolong the life of the crossings, and reduce road crossing closure times. 

The objective of this research is to develop a practitioner’s guide that (1) includes an evaluation of the strength of highway road crossing design and materials and (2) conveys the results of field tests and validation of the strength and installation feasibility for an innovative design of highway road crossing support systems that will increase the life of the road at a railroad crossing and reduce repair time and maintenance.