S-700 : Still Just a Bill

This bill provides statutory authority for the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to establish and maintain a portal and corresponding database through which it shall receive information on blocked railroad-highway grade crossings as a three-year pilot program.

The FRA must use information from the database (1) to assist in identifying the locations and potential impacts of frequent and long-duration blocked railroad-highway grade crossings; (2) as a basis for outreach to communities, emergency responders, and railroads; and (3) to support collaboration in the prevention of incidents at railroad-highway grade crossings.

Additionally, the Department of Transportation must evaluate the requirements of its railway-highway crossing program to determine whether

• the program provides states sufficient flexibility to adequately address current and emerging grade-crossing safety issues,
• the structure of the program provides sufficient incentive and resources to states and local agencies to make changes at grade crossings that are most effective at reducing deaths and injuries,
• there are appropriate tools and resources to support states in using data-driven programs to determine the most cost-effective use of program funds, and
• any statutory changes are necessary to improve the effectiveness of the program.