Unique Rail Crossing Identifiers
Most highway-railroad crossings that are equipped with lights or lights and gates also have a sign posted that includes the railroad and a telephone number to contact in an emergency.
Each highway-railroad crossing is assigned a unique identifier - a U.S. DOT/AAR crossing inventory number, normally referred to as an FRA number. The number consists of six digits followed by a letter and is posted on a metal plate at each crossing.
At grade crossings, the railroad owner generally installs and maintains the tracks, the roadway surface between and around the rails, and traffic control devices on their rights of way.
The railroad is responsible for the railroad crossing (from edge of tie to edge of tie) while the roadway authority is responsible for the roadway approaches at the highway-railroad grade crossings. Public crossings are those at which the highway or roadway is under the jurisdiction of and maintained by a public authority such as a city, county or state.
Private crossings are those in which the roadway is privately owned, as you might find on a farm or within an industrial complex, where the road is not intended for public use. The roadway owner, whether public or private, typically maintains the road approaching the crossing on either side of the tracks. The Iowa DOT maintains programs that only apply to public, not private, crossings.
Traffic Control on Highway Right of Way (ROW) & Notification to Roadway Authorities