Security & Safety Briefs - July 21 - July 27
The Latest Headlines:
- Ohio Investigating Accident-Rate Increases on Turnpike
- Maryland Institutes Fog-Warning System
- FRA Seeking Information on Calif. Rail Crossings
- DOE Says Dedicated Trains to Carry Nuclear Waste
- Maryland Institutes Fog-Warning System
Ohio Investigating Accident-Rate Increases on Turnpike
Accidents involving all kinds of vehicles on the Ohio Turnpike have increased 27% since the speed limit for trucks was raised to 65 mph from 55 mph last September, the Associated Press reported.The number of accidents involving a commercial truck along the 241-mile toll road has risen 36% in the same period, AP said.
Turnpike officials raised the truck speed limit to try to draw rigs away from congested highways along the turnpike corridor.
Turnpike truck traffic also increased the first day of the change Sept. 8 and is up about 20% this year from the same time last year, a turnpike consultant told AP. Transport Topics
Maryland Institutes Fog-Warning System
Drivers bound for the mountains of western Maryland are getting a new kind of warning when fog obscures a notorious stretch of Interstate 68 near Hagerstown, Md., the Associated Press reported.A $230,000 system automatically activates flashing signs when visibility drops below 1,000 feet on Keysers Ridge or Big Savage Mountain, where two people died in an 89-vehicle pileup in 2003, the State Highway Administration said July 7.
When roadside sensors using infrared technology detect thick fog on the 2,800-foot peaks, they send radio signals that activate yellow flashers on permanent signs located 3 miles to 7 miles away on either side of the ridge tops, AP reported.
The signs read: “Reduced visibility possible when flashing.”
he system, powered by solar-recharged batteries, is designed to replace electronic message boards, which require substantial human involvement, the State Highway Administration said.
The system is connected to the agency’s statewide operations center near Baltimore and instantly alerts workers there to fog problems. Transport Topics
FRA Seeking Information on Calif. Rail Crossings
The federal government wants to know if it is possible to restrict vehicle access to two Metrolink commuter train lines as a way to improve safety on routes that run from Los Angeles to Symar and Chatsworth, Calif.The Federal Railroad Administration said it would give Metrolink $250,000 to study a “sealed corridor” concept for its Antelope Valley and Ventura County lines.
The study will evaluate whether it is possible to reduce or eliminate the chance of vehicles crossing into the path of trains.
In a ‘sealed corridor’ approach, passenger and freight rail operators work with state transportation and local officials to analyze safety at all railroad crossings along a particular rail line, FRA said.
The purpose of the assessment is to decide which grade crossings should receive safety improvements or be permanently closed, the agency said. FRA is part of the Transportation Department. Transport Topics
DOE Says Dedicated Trains to Carry Nuclear Waste
Nuclear waste would be shipped to a national repository in the Nevada desert on dedicated railroad cars, rather than sharing trains with other cargo, the Department of Energy said last Wednesday.In addition to the train shipments, some 1,100 truck shipments would be needed, though they will not be affected by the transportation policy, the Associated Press reported, citing DOE officials.
Yucca Mountain is planned as a national repository for 77,000 tons of nuclear waste to be buried for 10,000 years and beyond, AP reported.
Although general freight trains would be an option, DOE’s policy would be to use dedicated trains for the estimated 3,500 shipments of spent nuclear fuel and high-level defense waste bound for Yucca Mountain, DOE said.
The trains would carry waste from sites in some three dozen states to the repository, planned 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. Using dedicated trains would be cheaper and more secure than regular freight trains, DOE officials said. Transport Topics
