For those living near railroad tracks, the rumbling of trains and deep bellow of horns are heard many times throughout the day.

City officials are searching for ways to eliminate the noise, and the Wayside Horn may be an answer.

“At several crossings, we’re proposing to add a pole [to] sit next to the cross-arms that come down at the railroad,” DeKalb City Engineer Joel Maurer said. “At the top of the pole is a horn that is directed toward road traffic.”

The horn is supposed to eliminate noise pollution in neighborhoods within one-half mile of the tracks because it is directed toward traffic, according to the Operation Lifesaver Web site, a national non-profit organization that seeks to educate people about railroad safety and enforce current laws..

“The Wayside Horn delivers a longer, louder and more consistent audible warning to motorists and pedestrians,” the Web site said.

The nationwide rule imposed on railroads is to blow the train horn at all crossings, unless there are established safety measures in place of the horn, Maurer said.

The idea was proposed several years ago and a study was performed about two years ago to test the feasibility of Wayside Horns, Maurer said.

“We have to take a number of steps that are accomplished in agreement with the Illinois Commerce Commission, or ICC,” Maurer said. “They regulate rail safety, and we had to make a petition to ICC about what we plan to do with Wayside Horns.”

The DeKalb City Council is looking at funding the construction of Wayside Horns in 2006. There are some Wayside Horns in Mundelein, Ill. Across the country, horns are installed at some crossings in Texas, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa and California.

“The horns are about $100,000 for each crossing,” Maurer said. “They are expensive, but they’re worth the expense for what the trade-off is, and that is a quieter neighborhood for areas by railroad crossings.”