Stopgate saves lives in Madison, Wisconsin

Vehicles collide with trains at highway-rail grade crossings approximately every 90 minutes in the United States. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, a motorist is 40 times more likely to be killed if involved in a vehicle-train crash than in any other type of highway collision. Fifty-percent of railroad crossing incidents occur when warnings are working properly. For these reasons, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WDOT) was the first agency to
install a StopGate System in 1998 and today the system is being seriously considered by other
Departments of Transportation. The StopGate is a state-of-the-art warning and vehicle arresting barrier gate for highway-rail
intersections. It is designed to provide positive, crashworthy protection to help to prevent vehicles from intruding into crossing intersections when a train is present or approaching. The StopGate is equipped with advance warning systems, including high-intensity red and white striped reflective tape and an LED lighting system on all StopGate arms. It meets NCHRP 350, Test Level 2 as a
vehicle arresting system and is designed to stop a 4,410 lb (2000 kg) pickup truck traveling at 43 mph (70 km/h) in as little as 13 feet (4 meters).
The first StopGate System was installed in Madison, Wisconsin in 1998 on Whitney Way Drive and it is still in service today. Initially, WDOT wanted to test the system’s reliability in all weather conditions due to the harsh Wisconsin winters.
The site where the StopGate System is installed is a potential candidate for a high-speed railway in the future, making it an ideal location for the test. In addition, a hill on the south side of the tracks can be a hazard in the winter when vehicles may slide down the hill onto the tracks during icing conditions. The WDOT has been pleased with the performance of the system and plans to add
additional systems. Including this site and others, the StopGate System has recorded 130,000 trains that have passed through crossings without a single incident.