DeKALB | A brighter, quieter downtown may await students when they return to NIU this fall.

Wayside horns are being installed over the summer in an effort to lessen the noise as trains travel through downtown, said DeKalb city engineer Joel Maurer. The new system will lessen the noise of passing trains in the business district throughout the day. The wayside horns will be pointed at street level and sound a warning at traffic nearby.

Painting is also underway in the latest ReNew DeKalb effort. The DeKalb City Council gave the OK on a plan to grant up to $10,000 to downtown building owners. If a building is chosen by the council, the grant would pay for a new paint job. To date, building owners are still submitting applications, but some work will be done by early fall, said Jennifer Groce, executive director of the downtown group.

“Our goal is to have it all done by the end of the year, so we have to work within the painting season this fall,” Groce said.

There will be numerous other changes taking place over the summer, she said. The city will put together flower displays for the business district and hang new double banners along the entire downtown stretch of Lincoln Highway.

“They will be very bright, people will notice them.” Groce said. She said changes such as sidewalk widening and tree planting will not begin until next year.

Some construction will still be underway when students return.

The city is also expanding Annie Glidden Road south of Lincoln Highway from two lanes to four.

Sixth Ward alderman Dave Baker said the project has been about 16 years in the making.

Maurer said the expansion will be great for the city.

“This is the result of a long corridor study project,” Maurer said.

Work is expected to continue into October.

A bridge replacement project will be done by the Illinois Department of Transportation on Route 38 east of Castle Drive. Traffic on this thoroughfare will squeeze into two lanes during construction.

The city council approved movement of existing water main and street lighting by a city contractor a week ago in anticipation of work beginning on the replacement. Maurer said he expects the project to last around 12 months.