2007 Events --> December 6, 2007
Rail project works. Tests to continue through 2009.

Van Buren Township - County Executive Robert Ficano, state transportation experts, rail officials and others today watched a successful test of a rail project intended to protect motorists at crossings.

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The project at a Norfolk/Southern rail crossing on Denton Road in Van Buren Township involves safety devices that rise from the roadway as rail gates are activated. These pylon barriers rise from a cartridge in the roadway. Like fingers, the yellow and red pylons prohibit drivers from steering vehicles around lowered gates and across the tracks, violating laws and prudent motoring. It's estimated that hundreds of American drivers have been killed or injured ignoring lowered rail gates and safety lights.

The Denton crossing is a test project funded by state and federal highway funds. Wayne County maintains Denton and volunteered the crossing, in order to test the newest devices in keeping families safe. The devices also bounce back if emergency vehicles are forced to drive over them.

"(These) are used in Europe," the county executive said. "And we should take every measure to ensure driver safety in Wayne County - and across the country."

The Denton rail project is the first location in the United States to be equipped with the retractable barricade. It is part of a federal railroad crossing safety test sponsored by the Michigan Department of Transportation, the Federal Railroad Administration, and the Norfolk Southern Railway (NS), in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration. Intelligent Perimeter Systems (IPS), an Ohio-based developer of traffic control systems, recently completed installation of the barrier system. The devices are reflective, and in addition, the red ones along the track are lighted for better night visibility.

Denton Road is located on the Pontiac/Detroit/Chicago high-speed rail corridor which includes Amtrak service. There are also approximately 14 daily freight trains. In 2006, there were 72 train/vehicle crashes in Michigan, including 11 fatal crashes and 19 injuries. Of the 72 crashes, 27 were at gated crossings.

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