State Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Action Plans

FRA’s State Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Action Plan (SAP) regulations can be found in section 234.11 of title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations (49 CFR § 234.11).  FRA issued these SAP regulations in a final rule that was published in the Federal Register on December 14, 2020.  A copy of FRA’s SAP final rule can be obtained from the Federal Register and FRA’s eLibrary.

This webpage is designed for States to:

• Provide the status of each State’s SAP submission(s), and
• Provide a general (but not exhaustive) list of reference documents and tools to assist States with SAP development.
• Submit their plans.
  
  

States will be required to submit their SAPs by February 14, 2022. Questions can be sent to the SAP Team at StateActionPlan@dot.gov.

The Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act) mandates that the 10 States previously identified in the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (RSIA) must, at a minimum, provide FRA an updated state action plan and a report describing what the State did to implement its previous state action plan and how the State will continue to reduce grade crossing (GX) safety risks.  FRA identified these states as:  Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Ohio, and Texas.

The FAST Act mandates that the remaining 40 States and District of Columbia  develop and implement an SAP.  The SAP must identify GXs and pathway crossings (PXs) that: (a) have experienced recent GX accidents or incidents; (b) have experienced multiple GX accidents or incidents; or (c) are at high-risk for accidents or incidents as defined in each SAP.  Additionally, each SAP must identify specific strategies for improving safety at GXs and PXs, including closures or grade separations, Each SAP must also specifically designate a State official responsible for managing implementation of the plan.