The Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act) mandated that all states develop and implement a rail State Action Plan (SAP) by February 2022. The SAP must identify rail grade crossings and pathway crossings that:
- Have experienced recent grade crossing accidents or incidents;
- have experienced multiple grade crossing accidents or incidents; or
- are at high-risk for accidents or incidents as defined in each SAP.
Additionally, each SAP must identify specific strategies for improving safety at crossings, including closures or grade separations, and must specifically designate a State official responsible for managing implementation of the plan.
The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) developed its Washington Highway-Rail Grade Crossing State Action Plan (SAP) to focus safety improvement efforts on higher-risk highway-railroad crossings to reduce accidents and incidents. This UTC SAP generated a list of the top 58 priority higher-risk crossings in Washington.
Note: The UTC submitted its SAP to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) in February 2022 and is still awaiting final approval. The report will be updated to incorporate any changes required or recommended by the FRA.
For questions, please contact rail@utc.wa.gov.