Benefit-cost Methodology for Highway-railway Grade Crossing Safety Protocols as Applied to Transportation Infrastructure Project Prioritization Processes

This paper summarizes efforts in assisting the North Carolina Department of Transportation (Rail Division) in developing a methodology for identifying and prioritizing safety projects at highway-rail at-grade crossings (grade crossings). This approach leverages recent developments in data management to improve the identification, prioritization and selection of safety projects through the calculation of all the costs and benefits associated to a safety project. This approach will also provide policymakers with the kind of information they need to communicate with the public and other government agencies about the benefits of investing in safety.