Grade Crossing Improvements Coming

MidHudsonNews


Brief, fair-use SNIPS:

$5M federal funding announced for rail crossing upgrades

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, and Congresswoman Nita Lowey announced $5,162,417 U.S. Department of Transportation funds to improve the safety of 53 rail grade crossings along Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) lines. The funds are being provided by the Railroad Safety Infrastructure Improvement Grant Program. Specifically, $1.3 million in grant funds will be used to install new highway traffic signals; $1.9 million in grant funds will be used to install new CCTV cameras to better study future mitigation measures; and $1.9 million in grant funds will be used towards roadway and signage upgrades. Schumer, Gillibrand, and Lowey have long supported improved rail grade crossings throughout New York.
...
The federal funding provided by the FY 16 Railroad Safety Infrastructure Improvement Grant Program includes:

$1,347,500 in grant funds will be used to add highway traffic signal preemption to seven grade crossings on Metro-North’s Harlem and Port Jervis Lines to activate the traffic signals at the intersections and allow queued traffic to safely exit onto the highway prior to the activation of the railroad grade crossing warning systems. This will ensure motorists, pedestrians and cyclists will have time to clear the crossing before the grates go down.
$1,910,785 in grant funds will be used to install CCTV cameras to record grade crossing movements at 43 identified grade crossings within Metro-North and LIRR territory to investigate specific incidents and analyze operations for targeted modifications to improve safety.
$1,904,132 in grant funds will be used to install upgrades to three grade crossings to mitigate hazardous conditions between highway and rail traffic. The Metro-North project includes upgrading the roadway, pavement markings and signage in North White Plains.

More specifics: LoHud

Brief, fair-use SNIPS:

NY gets $5.2M of $25M in railroad crossing grants
As part of the plan, the Commerce Street crossing -- the site of the deadliest crash in Metro-North history -- will get closed circuit TV cameras
...
The first part is $1.3 million to add highway traffic signal pre-emption to seven grade crossings on Metro-North's Harlem and Port Jervis lines. The devices will activate traffic signals at the intersections before the current warning systems, allowing traffic to get out of the way before a train comes.

The second lays out $1.9 million and pays to "mitigate hazardous conditions between highway and rail traffic." In Westchester, it foots the bill for roadway, pavement markings and signs at the Virginia Road intersection in Valhalla.

The third grant provides $1.9 million for closed-circuit TV cameras at 43 intersections within Metro-North territory in New York state, including the Commerce Street crossing where Ellen Brody's SUV was struck by a Metro-North train last February, killing six, Brody included, and injuring 15 in the deadliest crash in the railroad's history.
...

great now we can record the people when they get obliterated, cause those road sign's won't be of any use.
at least MN will have great evidence at court hearings, crossing camera and outward facing cab camera's will not prevent crossing accidents, but will
prevent awards and railroad settlements, thus saving commuters money.

I think there are only 4 crossings on the Port Jervis line and none of them are really near traffic lights...