Rail Replacement Program

The Rail Replacement Program (
PID = RRP
) is
a
sub-program funded out of the Bridge
System Safety Program (Category 6
BSSP
)
). The goal of the RRP is to improve safety on bridges and bridge-class culverts that are in good condition, but have no traffic safety features, or have traffic safety features that do not comply with the Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH).
Refer to the TxDOT Bridge Railing Manual, Section 2 - FHWA Policy on Bridge Railing Overview. This section contains a list of numerous policy memorandums and reports issued by FHWA, the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHTO) and the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) regarding bridge railing safety. Federal laws have also been passed that include measures to enhance the crashworthiness of roadside features.
Eligibility Requirements
T
o be considered eligible for RRP
funding
, a bridge or bridge-class culvert must meet the following eligibility requirements:
  • On-system
     – The RRP will only fund the replacement of bridge rails for On-system, TxDOT owned bridges. Bridges that are a part of a Comprehensive Development Agreement (CDA) or other non-state funded projects are not eligible. The focus of the RRP is on structures that have no other available funding options.
  • Not historic
     – The coordination process required to obtain approval for rails installed on historic
    bridges
    are more complex than for other highway bridges, and design and installation requires special consideration. Rail upgrades to historic
    bridges
    should be performed when the bridge undergoes a general restoration.
  • Not eligible for HBP, or not
    Poor condition
    – The RRP will focus only on On-system structures that are not currently eligible for replacement or rehabilitation. Bridges that
    are poor
     or are eligible for the Highway Bridge Program (HBP) will not be considered.
    Other considerations that may disqualify a structure from the RRP is the consideration of how narrow the existing structure is, and how an upgraded rail may exacerbate the issue.
  • General
    Condition rating
    s
     > 5
     – The deck/superstructure/substructure/culvert rating must be greater than 5.
  • Non-compliant or substandard rail
     – The bridge must have a non-compliant or substandard bridge rail, or have no safety feature, as indicated by the first digit “0” in Item 36, “Traffic Safety Feature” of the Bridge Inspection Database. A bridge is identified as having a non-compliant traffic safety feature if it lacks a safety feature or has a safety feature that is non-compliant
    per the Bridge Railing Manual
     . Rails that are height-deficient are also considered non-compliant but are subject to additional funding restrictions. However, the RRP will not fund work required to address heightdeficient rails where the deficiency is due to the overuse of overlay on bridge decks. These height deficiencies should be addressed by the District. Refer to the
    TxDOT Bridge Railing Manual
     for more information.
Some additional situations affecting eligibility for RRP funds are described below:
  • Compliant safety shapes not meeting FHWA test level requirements
     – If the bridge rail is a compliant safety shape, but the test level of the rail shape does not meet the posted speed of the roadway, then this rail replacement is eligible for RRP funding. RRP will also fund replacement of rails which do not meet the required FHWA minimum for a TL-3 designation on NHS bridges.
  • Bridge rails coded “1” in the Bridge Inspection Database
     – Any bridge rails marked as a “1” in the first digit of Item 36 are not eligible for the program. If there is a question as to validity of the Bridge Inspection Database coding, please refer to the
    TxDOT
    Bridge Railing Manual, Chapter 4, Section 2, Table 4-2. If a discrepancy with the as-built condition and Bridge Inspection Database coding is discovered, please coordinate with
    the District
     Bridge Inspection coordinator to have the database updated. Please utilize the
    Rail Identification Guide
     to properly identify the existing bridge rail.
  • Economic benefit
    –
    Conditions for candidate bridges will be evaluated to determine if
     retrofitting a new bridge rail
    is economically justified
    .
Funding
The RRP funding per bridge project will include the cost for replacing the entire
non-compliant bridge rail
plus the cost of
safety end treatments, transitions, mow strips
, and MBGF
, not to exceed
15
0 feet per corner
.
All other associated costs will need to be funded by a different category of funding. If the total length of approach rail exceeds
600 LF per bridge
, then a nonCategory 6 funding will be required to cover the total additional approach rail cost.
For culverts, the program will fund construction of a safety end treatment (SET) or MBGF if it is the more appropriate choice for the location.
All other costs associated with RRP projects are the responsibility of the District {Mobilization, Traffic Control, SW3P, etc.}.
Rail replacement projects should be coordinated to coincide with other projects using traffic control that encompass the limits of the bridge, or traffic control costs will be funded with a source other than Category 6.
Funding and policy for the RRP is supported by
IIJA
 and 23 CFR 133(b)(15), which states that eligible projects include highway and transit safety infrastructure improvements and programs.
Statewide Prioritization and Programming
Statewide prioritization and programing will be based on:
  • Bridges with d
    amaged bridge rails or frequently impacted rails are the highest RRP priority. Evidence of repeated collisions or significant impacts needs to be brought to BRG’s attention for funding review. BRG wants to ensure that significantly damaged substandard rails are not repaired in kind; therefore, if
    10 percent or 75 feet
    , whichever is least, of the entire bridge rail is damaged, all of the railing should be replaced with a compliant rail. The intent of this guidance is to discourage repairs to non-compliant rail due to lack of maintenance funds. A newer rail will help save maintenance funds because it will fare better in a vehicular collision, and it will be of standard construction, which is easier to repair.
  • Bridges with
    Average Annual Daily Traffic (AADT) greater than or equal to 10,000 vehicles per day (vpd) and on bridges that are on the National Highway System (NHS).
  • Bridges with high impact frequencies, but AADT lower than 10,000 vpd will be considered by BRG for inclusion in the RRP on a case-by-case basis.
  • Bridges with
     design or posted speeds, whichever is higher, of 50 mph and greater.
The Bridge Division will prioritize candidate projects based on the below criteria and with input from the District. The criteria to prioritize RRP projects are as follows:
  • Rating 1 -- Rail damage is >= 10% of bridge rail or 75 ft. (whichever is the least)
  • Rating 2 -- AADT >= 10,000 vpd
  • Rating 3 -- On the NHS and the posted/design speed >= 50 mph
  • Rating 4 -- Not on the NHS and the posted/design speed >= 50 mph
  • Rating 5 -- AADT < 10,000 and with an accident history (case-by-case basis)
The RRP has an annual call for project consideration. Projects are programmed for four years at a time. The first two years of projects are included in the department's 24-month letting schedule with the following two years in a plan development stage. All of these projects are authorized for construction letting for their respective years. All project letting dates are subject to change based on changing conditions, fiscal funding constraints, or emergency projects.
Table 2-5: Rail Replacement Program Selection Process Schedule
Program Time
Month
Time Frame
Action Items
List Development
August
1 month
BRG prepares map of eligible candidate projects.
Program Call
September
1 month
District update
s
 estimates and letting dates for ongoing projects during the
program
 call.
Program Call
September - October
2 months
District evaluate
s
 eligible candidate projects and prepare
s
 written justifications
Selection Comments
November
2 weeks
District submit
s
 new candidate projects and accompanying written justifications
Program Call Finalized
December - January
1.5 months
BRG prepares final call
Final list sent to FIN
January
End of month
BRG sends final
RRP
 list to FIN.
TXDOTCONNECT Updates
February
1 month
District submit
s
 TXDOTCONNECT changes and
creates
 new CSJs.