Federal Highway Administration
400 Seventh Street, SW
Washington, DC 20590

Refer to: HOTO-1

Mr. Robert W. McKnight
Railway Signaling Historian
1600 East Avenue, Apartment 1110
Rochester, NY 14610-1633

Dear Mr. McKnight:

Thank you for your February 4 letter regarding Michigan Department of Transportation’s (MIDOT) request for traffic control device experimentation with in-pavement roadway lights and raisable flexible-post delineator-type barriers at highway-rail grade crossings. We apologize for the delay in responding to your request. All first class mail sent through the United States Postal Service to Federal agencies in the District of Columbia must be processed in a special way to protect government employees from the possibility of handling anthrax-tainted mail. The irradiation process can significantly delay mail delivery.

We are in the process of receiving additional information from MIDOT on the experiment’s plans. Unfortunately, MIDOT’s response to our December 7, 2001, letter was delayed due to mail processing. Our office is in contact via telephone and correspondence to gather this information as quickly as possible. Once we receive this information, we will forward it to the National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices.

We appreciate your continued interest in this experiment request. For recordkeeping purposes, we have numbered and titled your request as follows: "8-62(C)- Status of In-Roadway Lights and Raisable Barriers at Grade Crossings-Michigan." Please refer to this number in any further correspondence. If we can be of further assistance, please contact Mrs. Debra Chappell at 202-366-0087.

Sincerely yours,

Shelley J. Row, P.E.
Director, Office of Transportation
Operations