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The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and Operation Lifesaver of California recently produced an educational video for truck drivers aimed at promoting grade crossing safety.

The five-minute video reviews drivers’ legal responsibilities when they approach and travel over crossings, and highlights key aspects of rail operations at crossings.  The video is available in English, Spanish and closed-captioned versions, and can be downloaded from the FRA’s Web site.
 
Meanwhile, the FRA also added the Essential Elements of a Railroad Bridge Management Program to its statement of policy on railroad bridge safety.

The non-regulatory policy outlines suggested criteria railroads can use to ensure bridges’ structural integrity. The program “provides railroad bridge owners with a uniform, comprehensive set of components for recommended inclusion in their bridge management programs,” FRA officials said in a news brief released Friday.

The information can help a bridge owner develop a single set of instructions and other data for employees who are responsible for rail bridge management, inspections, maintenance and safety.

Bridge safety provisions in the Railroad Safety Improvement Act of 2008 — which closely mirror the “essential elements” program — require the FRA to issue a final railroad bridge regulation by Oct. 16, 2009, the agency said.