§ 234.311 - ENS sign placement and maintenance.

§ 234.311 ENS sign placement and maintenance.

(a) Number of signs at highway-rail or pathway grade crossing.

(1) In general. The maintaining railroad, or the railroad appointed pursuant to § 234.306(b), for a highway-rail or pathway grade crossing shall place and maintain a sign on each approach to the crossing that conforms to § 234.309, except as provided in paragraph (a)(2) of this section.

(2) Exceptions.

(i) At a farm grade crossing, the responsible railroad shall place and maintain a minimum of one sign that conforms to § 234.309 at the crossing.

(ii) At a railroad yard, or a port or dock facility that does not meet the definition of “plant railroad” in § 234.5, the responsible railroad shall place and maintain a minimum of one sign at each vehicular entrance to the yard, or the port or dock facility in accordance with § 234.309, in lieu of placing signs at each crossing within the yard, or the port or dock facility. Each sign must be placed so that it is clearly visible to a driver of a motor vehicle located at the vehicular entrance to the yard, or the port or dock facility.

(b) Placement of sign(s).

(1) Each sign required by paragraph (a) of this section must be located at the crossing, except as provided in paragraph (a)(2)(ii) of this section, and maintained by the responsible railroad so that the sign -

(i) Is conspicuous to users of the roadway or pathway by day and night;

(ii) Does not obstruct any other sign or traffic control device at the crossing;

(iii) Does not limit the view of a train approaching the highway-rail or pathway grade crossing; and

(iv) If mounted on a post, has supports that are crashworthy (i.e., breakaway or yielding).

(2) A sign placed on the signal bungalow does not comply with paragraph (b)(1)(i) of this section.

(c) Repair or replacement of ENS sign. If an ENS sign required by this subpart is discovered by the responsible railroad to be missing, damaged, or in any other way unusable to vehicular or pedestrian traffic, the responsible railroad shall repair or replace the sign no later than 30 calendar days from the time of detection.

[77 FR 35191, June 12, 2012, as amended at 78 FR 16423, Mar. 15, 2013]