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4 CHAPTER 1 Project Background Numerous roadways and railways that are a part of the vast national transportation network cross or abut each other or their respective rights-of-way. The successful construction, operation, maintenance, reconstruction, and rehabilitation of these assets involve a high level of interaction between the transportation agencies that build and maintain the roads as well as the nationâs railroad companies. According to the 2013 Report Card for Americaâs Infrastructure by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), âIn total, one in nine of the nationâs bridges are rated as structurally deficient, while the average age of the nationâs 607,380 bridges is currently 42 years. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) estimates that to eliminate the nationâs bridge deficient backlog by 2028, we would need to invest $20.5 billion annually, while only $12.8 billion is being spent currently. The challenge for federal, state, and local governments is to increase bridge investments by $8 billion annually to address the identified $76 billion in needs for deficient bridges across the United States (ASCE 2013).â Apart from regular inspection and maintenance activities, the aging of the nationâs roadway infrastructure will necessitate some level of reconstruction and rehabilitation on a majority of these roadways. Further, many of the railroad companies in the United States are currently expanding their activities, resulting in the initiation of new railroad projects. This increase in project activity will mean an increase in project reviews, whether they be railroad companies reviewing transportation agency projects or vice versa, resulting in an increased level of interaction between the two parties for the foreseeable future. Historically, the interaction between transportation agencies and railroads involved many common challenges that affected project completion timelines and costs. Research completed in 2009 under the SHRP 2 RailroadâDOT Mitigation Strategies project (the initial research project) identified several innovations and best practices that would mitigate these challenges. The findings of the research effort were published in the 2010 SHRP 2 Renewal research report titled Strategies for Improving the Project Agreement Process Between Highway Agencies and Railroads. The report documented many successfully implemented best practices and innovative solutions (albeit in isolated pockets across the country) along with fresh ideas for the application of innovations to improve the collaboration between transportation agencies and railroads. These innovations, which have been used by peers, are excellent examples that can be used nationally to mitigate challenges on projects involving roadways and rail. The best practices and innovations identified in the initial research and in this dissemination and communication project are referred to in the report as project innovations. The second phase of the SHRP 2 RailroadâDOT Mitigation Strategies research effort involved the communication and dissemination of information relating to these innovations to a
5 nationwide audience. The focus of this 2011 SHRP 2 project entitled Communicating Railroadâ DOT Mitigation Strategies, referred to as the communication and dissemination project, was to start the communication and discussions about these successful strategies nationally, and, based on that experience, to recommend an implementation plan that could sustain and continue the effort. The long-term objective of the communication and dissemination project is to catalyze the adoption of these successful strategies by both parties (railroads and transportation agencies).
