(The following story by Matt Helms appeared on the Detroit Free Press website on December 6.)
DETROIT — A railroad crossing in Wayne County is the test site for new technology to deter people from the dangerous practice of driving around lowered crossing gates.
It’s a 17-month federal test of what are called “delineators,” basically plastic tubes embedded in pavement that rise several feet to set up a barrier when crossing gates go down. They’ll be in place where Norfolk Southern tracks cross Denton Road between Michigan Avenue and Ecorse Road in Van Buren Township north of Willow Run Airport through spring 2009.
The crossing will be monitored by cameras to see how well the flexible barriers, made by Intelligent Perimeter Systems of Dublin, Ohio, stop drivers from going around gates as trains approach.
“We believe the barriers have great life-saving potential for those motorists who make a quick, poor decision and attempt to drive around lowered gates,” said Kirk Steudle, director of the Michigan Department of Transportation, which is partnering with the Federal Railroad Administration, the Federal Highway Administration and Norfolk Southern in the study.
The retractable delineators are flexible and can be hit without being damaged or damaging vehicles. IPS said the delineators, backlit and reflective for easy visibility, are operated by a signal at the crossing gates.
Wayne County maintains Denton Road and volunteered the crossing for the testing, officials said.
MDOT said there were 72 train-vehicle collisions in Michigan in 2006, killing 11 people and injuring 19 others; of those crashes, 27 were at rail crossings with gates.
More information about the barriers is available at www.ibarrier.com. Under “Traffic Control,” click on the delineators link and then model 100.