If you’ve ever been stuck at a blocked railroad crossing, you may be familiar with the frustration of long delays and uncertainty of a clearing time.

In an effort to combat these issues, the City of Chattanooga has announced the installation of four train warning systems which will provide real-time crossing data for drivers.

The systems were installed in partnership with TRAINFO, a software company that is dedicated to understanding and preventing traffic delays at rail crossings.

The warning systems are made up of audio sensors that have been placed along the railroad crossings. The sensors provide data to TRAINCO, which then conveys messages to warning systems — letting drivers know of a blocked crossing and providing an estimated clearing time, if available.

For example, if a train is incoming and the length is not detected, folks will see a message like “Train at XXX crossing, expect significant delays.” If the train’s length is detected, you’ll see “Train at XXX crossing, time for crossing to clear is XXX minutes.”

Bonus: The city is working with Google Maps + Waze applications to grant access to the railroad crossing information — meaning alerts will be integrated for these users.

The system consists of four traffic alert signs leading up to the railroad crossings at Hamill Road and Hickory Valley Road. | Graphic provided by the City of Chattanooga

The four warning systems have been placed along Cassandra Smith, Hamill, and Hickory Valley Roads to provide alerts for the railroad crossings at Hamill and Hickory Valley Roads.

The systems were placed at these locations for two major reasons, according to data collected during the implementation process:

These crossings see on average between 8,000 to 10,000 vehicles per day.
The intersections experience on average 33 daily railroad crossings that can last anywhere from two minutes to nine hours.

Bonus: In phase two of this project, the alerts will integrate with 911 emergency vehicle dispatchers so first responders will be able to reroute in case of delays. The city is also looking to expand the system to other locations if it’s successful.