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The Canadian government recently announced plans to provide $3.8 million to upgrade 35 grade crossings in five provinces.

Funds will come from Canada's Economic Action Plan, which provides $28 million for crossing upgrades over the next five years. The 35 projects are in addition to an earlier round of crossing projects announced in May.

The most recent projects — which are located in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec — call for installing flashing lights and gates, linking crossing signals to nearby traffic lights, or adding new circuits or timing devices. The government covers up to 80 percent of project costs, with the remainder provided by railroads, municipalities, or provinces and territories.

Meanwhile, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) and town of Apex recently completed a $207,000 pedestrian rail crossing project on a street that intersects CSX Transportation’s tracks.

The “Z” crossing directs pedestrians through a sidewalk and fence configuration that prompts them to face the tracks in both directions prior to crossing. The configuration discourages access to tracks at other points near the crossing, according to NCDOT.