                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

GRADE CROSSING CLOSING AND SAFETY (§ 33.2-903)

A. It is the public policy of the Commonwealth to enhance public safety by
establishing safe highway-rail grade crossings, to consolidate and close unsafe,
unnecessary, or redundant crossings, and to limit the establishment of new
crossings. The Board has the authority to close public highway-rail grade
crossings on all systems of state highways for which it has responsibility.

B. The Commissioner of Highways on his own motion or by request of any
interested landowner, railroad corporation, or local governing body may petition
the Board to close a highway-rail grade crossing as a public crossing.

C. Prior to petitioning the Board to close a highway-rail grade crossing, the
Commissioner of Highways shall conduct a traffic engineering study to determine
the validity of closing the crossing. The traffic engineering study shall
consider all factors, including (i) the number of freight and passenger trains
passing the crossing and their timetable speeds, (ii) the distance to an
alternate crossing, (iii) the availability of alternate access, (iv) the
crossing&#8217;s accident history during the five-year period immediately prior
to the study, (v) the number of vehicles per day using the crossing, (vi) the
posted speed limit at the crossing, (vii) the type of warning devices present at
the crossing, (viii) the alignment of the roadway and railroad and their angle
of intersection, (ix) the number of trucks per day carrying hazardous materials
through the crossing, (x) the number of vehicles per day carrying passengers for
hire through the crossing, (xi) the number of school buses per day using the
crossing, and (xii) the use of the crossing by emergency vehicles.

D. The results of the traffic engineering study shall be made public in
accordance with the procedures set forth in &#xA7; 33.2-902. The Commissioner of
Highways shall present his findings and recommendations to the Board, and the
Board shall decide what actions to take regarding the railroad crossing at
issue.

HISTORY: 1996, cc. 114, 157, § 33.1-145.1; 2014, c. 805.