INSTITUTE OF TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERS – WISCONSIN SECTION
TRAFFIC ENGINEERING COUNCIL
SUMMARY OF TE COUNCIL MEETING OF APRIL 9, 2009
LOCATION: Wisconsin DOT SE Region Office
141 NW Barstow Street
Waukesha, WI 53187-0798
(262) 548-5903
Conference Room 338 A&B
ATTENDEES:
William Bremer, FHWA
Charlotte Brunner, City of Waukesha
Bob Bryson, City of Milwaukee
Joanna Bush, WisDOT, State Signal systems Engineer
Marty Hawley, ACEC Representative, HNTB
Pat Hawley, R.A. Smith National
Eric Lom, City of Appleton
Michael May, Traffic Analysis & Design, Inc.
Tom Notbohm, WisDOT, Design
Rob Phillips, APWA Representative, City of Madison
Dave Platz, FHWA
Peter Rusch, WisDOT, Retired
Dennis Ryan, City of Janesville
Todd Szymkowski, UW, WI Traffic Operations and Safety (TOPS) Lab
John Corbin, WisDOT, State Traffic Engineer, TE Council Chair
James Ito, Traffic Engineering Services, Inc., TE Council Administrator
GUESTS: John Davis, Ayers & Associates
Jeff Fait, Traffic Analysis & Design Inc.
Mike Hardy, City of Appleton
Rick Kline, TAPCO
Cheryl Cieslewicz, TAPCO
SUMMARY:
TE Council Chair, John Corbin, welcomed the attending Council members.
No new members to the Council were suggested.
TOPICS DISCUSSION:
Bill Bremer, FHWA, provided a status of the Railroad preemption locations in Wisconsin.
There are two lists from Wisconsin agencies and there currently are some location differences.
The Railroad Commissioner’s Office has offered to help WisDOT effect a process to provide inspection and contact coordination. WisDOT is developing an inspection check list for their 20 locations. MnDOT has a process in place to coordinate the inspection of RR preemption provisions at RR crossings.
Mark Morrison is the WisDOT statewide coordinator.
A summary sheet was provided by Bill and is reproduced at the end of this meeting summary.
Eric Lom and Mike Hardy provided their experiences regarding the coordination efforts and their difficulties in getting response from the Railroad operations personnel.
Todd Szymkowski provided the following topics:
1. High-intensity Activated crosswalk (HAWK) Signals. (See WITE Council Issue Paper 9, re: http://www.itewisconsin.org/comm/tecouncil.html.) Comments:
Michael May indicated that the City of Grafton is considering an installation.
Bob Bryson indicated that the City of Milwaukee is looking at 9 candidate locations.
City of Appleton also indicated a planned installation.
Concern for the “dark” signal phase was mentioned.
WisDOT is looking at the criteria for installations.
A public information meeting was recommended in relation to a new installation.
2. Traffic Signals near Railroad Crossing (See WITE Council Issue Paper 10) Comments:
A review of the Issue Paper items was completed and some locations such as Madison, Janesville and LaCrosse were mentioned.
Pete Rusch noted that MUTCD parts 7, 8 & 9 are pertinent.
Miscellaneous:
Pete Rusch and Dave Kuemmel will draft a letter regarding U-Turn legislation for Wisconsin
The April 16, 2009 Speed Management Workshop, regarding the WisDOT Speed Management Guidelines, will be held in Stevens Point. There is no fee but registration is requested
The June 30-July 1 WisDOT Intersection Safety Review workshop by TOC will be held in Milwaukee
FUTURE DISCUSSION TOPICS:
1. MUTCD Experimentation Request Process
2. U-Turns at Traffic Signals update
3. LED Life Cycle Replacement recommendations
4. Dark Signal Guidelines
5. Traffic Signal Displays
6. Advance Signal Flashers
7. Speed Management Guidelines
8. Traffic Signal Preemption and Confirmation
9. Pedestrian Accommodations, Pedestrian Facilities Guide – earlier suggestion
NEXT MEETING:
The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 22, 2009, 9:30 am to 11:30 am, WisDOT SE Region Office, 141 NW Barstow Street, Waukesha, WI, Room 338.
Coffee was provided by TAPCO
Coordination with Railroad Companies for Inspection of Interconnected Traffic Signals
WI ITE Traffic Engineering Council Meeting
April 9, 2009
WisDOT requires annual joint inspection of railroad-interconnected traffic signals. WisDOT is currently developing an inspection form based on the MNDOT’s inspection form. The locals need to coordinate with the railroad company for the inspection. However, if they are not able to reach the railroad company for some reason, they should communicate with the regional railroad contract. The list of the regional railroad contacts is:
SW Region – Roger Larson – 608-246-7916
SE Region – Paul Derksen – 262-548-8770
NE Region – Jared Kinziger – 920-492-7713
NC Region – Steve Kienitz – 715-365-5762
NW Region – Anna Davey – 715-392-7960
MnDOT Practice
“Mn/DOT Traffic Signal Timing and Coordination Manual” states that yearly inspections of traffic signals, preempted by trains or LRT are required to be performed and submitted to the Office of Freight, Railroads and Waterways. It is the responsibility of the roadway authority that has responsibility for the operation of the traffic signal to initiate the annual inspection. The rail authority shall be contacted prior to inspection and a representative shall be present during each inspection. This joint inspection is critical, as the operation of railroad preemption systems is dependent on both the railroad and highway agencies. The inspection should be done while a train passes through the area if possible. During this inspection, a general review of the highway intersection and railroad crossings for proper signing, pavement markings, signals, sight distances, and changes in conditions should be made. MnDOT has developed a “Mn/DOT ANNUAL TRAFFIC SIGNAL AND RAILROAD PREEMPTION INSPECTION FORM” for the purposes of these annual inspections. MnDOT acts as the coordinating body between the RR and locals to ensure the joint inspections are conducted. (The District Traffic Engineer will ensure that each location under Mn/DOT jurisdiction is inspected.)