(KLIX) – The Idaho Transportation Department is letting people know that stop signs will be replaced with yield signs at many railroad crossings across the state between now and the end of the year.

The change is being made in an effort to be consistent with signage at railroad crossings across the rest of the country, the department said on Friday.

The stop signs are being replaced at crossings that are defined as passive, those that do not have safety features such as flashing red lights or crossing gates.

Motorists are urged to pay attention and use caution at crossings.

"One of the Idaho Transportation Department's main goals is driver safety," Kevin Sablan, a traffic engineer with the department, said in a statement. "We want to make sure drivers are aware of this change taking place at railroad crossings. They should exercise caution, obey the speed limit and be prepared to stop if a train is approaching."

The department said when motorists approach a crossing that has a yield sign, “drivers should slow down, look both ways, look for train lights at night and listen intently for sounds of an approaching train. Drivers should only proceed across the tracks when it is safe to do so.”

Companies that own the rail line are changing out the signs, which should be completed by the end of the year. Some 865 of 1,450 railroad crossings in the state’s urban and rural areas will be affected by the change.

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