Sec. 13b-345. (Formerly Sec. 16-161). Duty of Commissioner of Transportation re grade crossings. Traffic control measures. Installation of signs. Logs listing crossing malfunctions. Inspections and re - Connecticut Statutes

      Sec. 13b-345. (Formerly Sec. 16-161). Duty of Commissioner of Transportation re grade crossings. Traffic control measures. Installation of signs. Logs listing crossing malfunctions. Inspections and repair of malfunctioning gates. (a) The Commissioner of Transportation shall investigate conditions surrounding all railroad crossings with public highways at grade and determine at which of such crossings public safety reasonably requires that any person traveling upon the highway shall come to a stop or proceed with caution before passing over the tracks at such crossing. The commissioner may require the railroad company at each of such crossings so determined to erect and maintain on the highway and within the limits of its right-of-way a "stop", "caution" or other sign of a type approved by the commissioner, and may require the company at any grade crossing to erect and maintain stop, caution, warning or other signs of a type approved by the commissioner, but where the tracks cross at grade on state highways, the State Traffic Commission shall prescribe the nature of traffic control devices and traffic control measures to be installed at such grade crossings. When traffic control measures are to be installed on state highways, they shall be furnished and installed by the Commissioner of Transportation.

      (b) The commissioner shall require each railroad company operating trains at or above twenty-five miles per hour, at all of its crossings at grade with gates or signals, to erect and maintain, within the limits of its right-of-way, a sign advising the public to call the 911 emergency telecommunications number upon the malfunctioning of any grade crossing gates or signals. Such sign shall be of a type approved by the commissioner or the State Traffic Commission.

      (c) The commissioner shall require each railroad company to maintain logs, subject to the inspection of the department, listing all reports of the malfunctioning of its grade crossing gates or signals. Each log shall contain information concerning all investigations and actions taken by the company to repair the malfunctioning gates or signals. Each company shall report to the municipality all actions taken to repair any malfunctioning gates or signals within the municipality.

      (d) Each railroad company, upon receiving a report of the malfunctioning of one of its crossing gates or signals, shall immediately investigate such report and repair any malfunction. Such inspection shall not be completed from a moving train.

      (1949 Rev., S. 5543; 1963, P.A. 246; 1969, P.A. 768, S. 224; P.A. 75-486, S. 1, 69; P.A. 77-614, S. 571, 610; P.A. 90-329, S. 2; P.A. 00-148, S. 13, 41.)

      History: 1963 act provided for state traffic commission to prescribe traffic control devices and measures where trucks cross at grade on state highways and for the state highway commissioner to furnish and install traffic control measures on state highways; 1969 act substituted "commissioner of transportation" for "state highway commissioner"; P.A. 75-486 substituted "public utilities control authority" for "commission", i.e. public utilities commission, and "authority" for "commission" where appearing thereafter, effective December 1, 1975; P.A. 77-614 substituted "commissioner of transportation" for "public utilities control authority" and "commissioner" for "authority" where appearing, effective January 1, 1979; in 1981 Sec. 16-161 transferred to Sec. 13b-345; P.A. 90-329 added a new Subsec. (b) requiring railroad companies to erect signs with the 911 emergency telecommunications telephone number at all of crossings at grade, a new Subsec. (c) requiring railroad companies to maintain logs of all malfunctioning gates or signals, a new Subsec. (d) requiring railroad companies to immediately investigate and repair all malfunctioning gates or signals and a new Subsec. (e) exempting trains which do not exceed 25 miles per hour from the provisions of the section; P.A. 00-148 amended Subsec. (b) by adding provision limiting the requirements of subsection to railroad companies operating trains at or above 25 miles per hour and deleted former Subsec. (e) re exemption of railroad companies operating trains which do not exceed 25 miles per hour, effective May 26, 2000.

      Annotation to former section 16-161:

      Cited. 136 C. 683.

      Annotations to present section:

      Cited. 26 CA 74. Cited. 33 CA 775.