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Suggested Citation:"Report Contents." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2014. Tools for Communicating Railroad-DOT Mitigation Strategies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22250.
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Suggested Citation:"Report Contents." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2014. Tools for Communicating Railroad-DOT Mitigation Strategies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22250.
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Suggested Citation:"Report Contents." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2014. Tools for Communicating Railroad-DOT Mitigation Strategies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22250.
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Suggested Citation:"Report Contents." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2014. Tools for Communicating Railroad-DOT Mitigation Strategies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22250.
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Suggested Citation:"Report Contents." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2014. Tools for Communicating Railroad-DOT Mitigation Strategies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22250.
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Suggested Citation:"Report Contents." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2014. Tools for Communicating Railroad-DOT Mitigation Strategies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22250.
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Suggested Citation:"Report Contents." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2014. Tools for Communicating Railroad-DOT Mitigation Strategies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22250.
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Suggested Citation:"Report Contents." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2014. Tools for Communicating Railroad-DOT Mitigation Strategies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22250.
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Below is the uncorrected machine-read text of this chapter, intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter-representative searchable text of each book. Because it is UNCORRECTED material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages.

SHRP 2 Renewal Project R16B Tools for Communicating Railroad–DOT Mitigation Strategies

SHRP 2 Renewal Project R16B Tools for Communicating Railroad–DOT Mitigation Strategies Shobna Varma StarIsis Corporation Lewis Center, Ohio with Gordon Proctor & Associates Michael L. Bradley & Associates, LLC TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD Washington, D.C. 2015 www.TRB.org

© 2015 National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This work was sponsored by the second Strategic Highway Research Program. The project was managed by Monica Starnes, Senior Program Officer, Renewal; Jerry DiMaggio, Implementation Coordinator; and Andy Horosko, Special Consultant, all for SHRP 2. The research was performed by Shobna Varma of StarIsis Corporation, supported by Gordon Proctor of Gordon Proctor and Associates and Michael Bradley of Michael L. Bradley and Associates, LLC. Shobna Varma of StarIsis Corporation was the principal investigator. The research team acknowledges with great appreciation the active engagement of Lyn Hartley, Kamie Young, and Melvin Thomas of Burlington Northern Santa Fe; Chuck Gullakson, Tony Bellamy, and Cassandra DeCesare of CSX Transportation; David Wyatt, Leon Jackson, and Thomas Bracey of Norfolk Southern; Steve Grosse Rhode and Chris Keckeisen of Union Pacific; Larry Romaine of Genesee & Wyoming Inc.; Paul Worley, Jahmal Pullen, and David Hinnat of the North Carolina Department of Transportation (DOT); Darin Kosmak of Texas DOT; Ananth Prasad, Fred Wise, Scott Allbritton, and Annette Lapkowski of Florida DOT; Ahmer Nizam and Connie Raezer of Washington State DOT; James Morris of Illinois DOT; Gregory Vaughn of Pennsylvania DOT; Kirk Steudle, Tim Hoeffner, and Bradley Wieferich of Michigan DOT; Mary Jo Key and Maria Hobbs of Iowa DOT; Jill Frank of Georgia DOT; Todd First of New Jersey DOT; and Diana Emerson and Lance Vigfusson of Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation. The team also acknowledges the participation of Ron Ries and Frank Frey of the Federal Railroad Administration and Stephen Gaj and Joseph Taylor of the Federal Highway Administration. COPYRIGHT INFORMATION Authors herein are responsible for the authenticity of their materials and for obtaining written permissions from publishers or persons who own the copyright to any previously published or copyrighted material used herein. The second Strategic Highway Research Program grants permission to reproduce material in this publication for classroom and not-for-profit purposes. Permission is given with the understanding that none of the material will be used to imply TRB, AASHTO, or FHWA endorsement of a particular product, method, or practice. It is expected that those reproducing material in this document for educational and not-for-profit purposes will give appropriate acknowledgment of the source of any reprinted or reproduced material. For other uses of the material, request permission from SHRP 2.

NOTICE The project that is the subject of this document was a part of the second Strategic Highway Research Program, conducted by the Transportation Research Board with the approval of the Governing Board of the National Research Council. The Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, the National Research Council, and the sponsors of the second Strategic Highway Research Program do not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturers’ names appear herein solely because they are considered essential to the object of the report. DISCLAIMER The opinions and conclusions expressed or implied in this document are those of the researchers who performed the research. They are not necessarily those of the second Strategic Highway Research Program, the Transportation Research Board, the National Research Council, or the program sponsors. The information contained in this document was taken directly from the submission of the authors. This material has not been edited by the Transportation Research Board. SPECIAL NOTE: This document IS NOT an official publication of the second Strategic Highway Research Program, the Transportation Research Board, the National Research Council, or the National Academies.

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. On the authority of the charter granted to it by Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences. The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. C. D. (Dan) Mote, Jr., is president of the National Academy of Engineering. The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Victor J. Dzau is president of the Institute of Medicine. The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. C.D. (Dan) Mote, Jr., are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council. The Transportation Research Board is one of six major divisions of the National Research Council. The mission of the Transportation Research Board is to provide leadership in transportation innovation and progress through research and information exchange, conducted within a setting that is objective, interdisciplinary, and multimodal. The Board’s varied activities annually engage about 7,000 engineers, scientists, and other transportation researchers and practitioners from the public and private sectors and academia, all of whom contribute their expertise in the public interest. The program is supported by state transportation departments, federal agencies including the component administrations of the U.S. Department of Transportation, and other organizations and individuals interested in the development of transportation. www.TRB.org www.national-academies.org

Contents 1 Executive Summary 3 CHAPTER 1 Introduction 4 CHAPTER 2 Project Background 6 CHAPTER 3 Project Objective 6 Why R16B, Tools for Communicating Railroad–DOT Mitigation Strategies? 7 What Does R16B, Tools for Communicating Railroad–DOT Mitigation Strategies, Hope to Achieve? 9 CHAPTER 4 Project Approach 12 CHAPTER 5 Products 12 The Lessons 55 The Virtual Library 61 CHAPTER 6 Capitalizing on Products to Benefit DOTs and Railroads 61 Collaborative Environment 62 Suggested Approach 65 CHAPTER 7 Next Steps: Care and Feeding of the Products in the Future 65 Keep Information Pertinent and Updated 66 Spread the Collaboration Systematically

Executive Summary This report for SHRP 2 Renewal Project R16B, Tools for Communicating Railroad–DOT Mitigation Strategies, documents the third phase of a research effort. The project consisted of developing web-based tools to support the nationwide adoption of various innovations identified or developed during the first two phases to mitigate the numerous challenges faced by transportation agencies and railroad companies on projects involving the two entities. A primary goal of the three-part research effort was to move the innovations from an early adoption stage to a tipping point that would trigger their widespread adoption. The entire research effort preceding this project used a cooperative approach by engaging key stakeholders nationwide through an advisory panel and a community of interest to identify challenges and various successfully implemented solutions and best practices and to disseminate this information nationwide. A key challenge identified during the initial research effort was the loss of institutional knowledge within transportation agencies and railroad companies. With the recent expansion of railroad business activity and the projected growth of the road network, mitigating this loss has become important for both organizations. Further, many of the innovations and best practices have been implemented in discrete, isolated pockets across the country, and the information is not available to a wider national audience who could take advantage of it. The tools developed through the R16B project aim to promote knowledge sharing and mitigation of the various challenges identified. The primary objectives included the following: 1. Development of training modules; and 2. Creation, maintenance, and delivery of a web-based virtual library of various best practices, including model agreements, contracts, standard guidelines, and provisions. The web suite of products with the training lessons and the library make it convenient for stakeholders to access a wealth of useful information via the Internet. In addition, the training has been designed to allow users to quickly locate topics of interest to them. They can access practices used by peers and adopt them as they are or customize them to meet their specific needs. These tools were developed using an iterative approach with continuous feedback from a community of stakeholder experts on content and design representing both railroad companies and transportation agencies. The tools were reviewed by the experts and rigorously tested before deployment. The lessons are self-paced and incorporate peer testimony, practical solutions, and functionality. The library provides many useful resources with quick and easy access for a variety of users through multiple devices. The web suite is also designed to provide seamless access between the training lessons and the library. 1

Six lessons are provided, each containing a variety of subtopics: 1. A Primer for Executives; 2. Culture and Objectives; 3. Master Agreement and Partnering Memorandum; 4. Insight into the Railroad Operations and Concerns; 5. Administrative Tactics for Managing Projects; and 6. Safety Orientation for Highway Personnel. The resources in the virtual library include multiple documents in each of the following categories: • Background materials; • Examples of agreements; • Examples of best practices; • Links or lists of various personnel in the railroad companies and state transportation agencies who work on projects involving the two parties; • Railroad resources, guidance, and design standards; and • Website links to resources that will assist the railroad and transportation agencies as they work on projects involving the two parties. One of the most significant outcomes of the project effort has been the establishment of an unprecedented and game-changing environment of collaboration and partnership among transportation agencies and railroad companies at a national level. To capitalize on this environment and to take advantage of the R16B products for the mutual benefit of the stakeholders, an iterative approach is suggested to systematically and incrementally address a few issues at a time. The care and feeding of the products include keeping the lessons updated to reflect current issues and solutions. Future work will also include keeping the contents in the library updated and ensuring that the community of interest is active and collaboratively engaged in healthy discussions and in finding win-win solutions to issues. The relationship between transportation agencies and railroads is similar to relationships between other organizations that have different objectives. In this case, the business differences are prominent because one organization is a public agency and the other a private entity. The partnering and collaboration that have been established will need to be nurtured for a few years until the majority of the practices are integrated into daily activities and become routine, and partnering and collaboration become second nature to both parties. Specific steps that can be adopted to achieve this goal are detailed in the report. 2

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TRB’s second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2) Renewal Project R16B has released a prepublication, non-edited version of a report titled Tools for Communicating Railroad-DOT Mitigation Strategies. This report summarizes the background, approach, and activities conducted in the R16 Report, along with the tools developed during the final phase of an earlier SHRP 2 project, Strategies for Improving the Project Agreement Process Between Agencies and Railroads.

SHRP 2 Renewal Project R16 also developed another supplemental report about establishing a collaborative forum between transportation agencies and railroads.

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