While 50 northern Illinois communities are fighting to remain free from the nuisance of train whistles, DeKalb is proposing a $600,000 project to install horns at five railroad crossings.

City officials said they hope the installation of the safety horns will mean approval from the Federal Railroad Administration for a train whistle quiet zone.

Changing safety criteria may mean northern Illinois communities will lose the quiet zones they have enjoyed for years.

In 1988, railroad crossings that used gates and lights and had had fewer than three accidents in the previous five years were excused from using whistles.

In order to retain their quiet zones, communities may have to make expensive safety improvements including the installation of extra gates and median barriers, as well as making some streets one-way.

Five crossings, those at First, Fourth, Sixth, Seventh and 10th streets, could see the wayside horns installed.

Assistant City Engineer Joel Maurer said the wayside horn device is a compact sound system mounted on a 30-foot post that will face oncoming traffic. The wayside horn will funnel a 96-decibel “beep” to the roadway.

Because the sound is concentrated, the wayside horn is less disruptive to surrounding neighborhoods, Maurer said. Gates and lights at all the crossings still will be used.

DeKalb also considered four-quadrant gates as an increased safety measure, but they were too expensive, Maurer said. Four-quadrant gates block traffic in both lanes on both sides of the crossing.

Neighboring Cortland won approval for a quiet zone beginning in June 2000, when median barriers were installed for 100 feet on both sides of its three crossings.

The barriers separate opposing lanes of traffic and prevent drivers from driving around lowered gates.

No accidents have been reported since installation of the median barriers.

As part of the agreement for the quiet zone, Cortland had to make an effort to increase the public’s awareness of the importance of obeying crossings and police enforcement around the crossings, Cortland Treasurer Susan Dockus said.

Additionally, signs stating that train whistles will not sound.

Train whistles blow in Cortland only when a train engineer sees someone is too close to a crossing, Dockus said. When train whistles were blowing all the time, people become accustomed to ignoring them, she said.

“Now it’s a real warning,” Dockus said.

Linda Wiggins, DeKalb director of administrative services, said DeKalb is at least 18 months away from its own quiet zone. City officials will have a meeting with a Federal Railroad Administration representative in the spring, though a date has not been announced.